Covert
by TStabler
Summary: Olivia has been hiding something huge. When Elliot finds out, his world gets turned upside down. To fix it, Elliot and Olivia get closer than they thought possible, and they realize there is only one person in the world they can trust: each other. E/O
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." As always, an end, or a beginning. You decide. **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

"Liv, are you absolutely out of your damned mind?" Elliot Stabler, lead Detective in the Special Victim's Unit asked his partner, sipping coffee and staring at her. "That's almost as crazy as one of Munch's theories!"

John Munch, the resident conspiracy theorist, looked up at him. "Hey, my theories are based on solid evidence!"

"Yeah," Fin, his partner, said. "Evidence that proves you are batshit crazy."

"Guys," Captain Cragen said, "Can we just hear the rest of Benson's theory? I think it may be...right."

Olivia Benson smirked and nodded at her captain. "Thanks," she said. "I'm telling you, the man in the van, the clerk at the bookshop, the barista at that cafe, they are all the same person. I can prove it," she explained, walking over to the pictures on the white board. "Morales in TARU made the photos transparent for me, and...see?" She placed them on the board, one over the other."

"Holy shit," Elliot said, nearly dropping his coffee, gasping.

"Wow," Munch said, shaking his head. "That is some...how did you know?"

Olivia smirked. "I'm intelligent," she said.

Cragen laughed, getting the joke, then turned to Elliot. "Stabler, you should be very proud and very thankful that she is your partner."

Elliot nodded dumbly. "I am," he said, staring at Olivia as she took the pictures off the board. "Fin, I'm gonna let you and Munch handle the pick-up," he said. "I have to meet my wife for dinner, or I won't have a wife anymore."

"That wouldn't be a bad thing," Fin quipped, eyeing Elliot suspiciously.

Elliot gave him a narrow-eyed look. "And Liv has that...thing," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Date," Olivia said, smirking. "You can say it, El. Come on. Date. D...A...T...E..."

Elliot stood and grabbed his keys. "Yeah, date, whatever. I don't like the guy."

"You've never even met him!" Olivia laughed.

"Jealous, Stabler?" Fin asked, chuckling.

"Shut up, Fin," Elliot said, snapping. "I gotta go." He left the squadroom, huffing, cursing under his breath.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she, too, grabbed her jacket and keys. "Bye, guys," she said. "Let me know how the interrogation goes." She waved to them, knowing full well she would find out all about the interrogation, before she took the man into custody herself and questioned him in her own way.

She walked out of the precinct, down the street, into a small boutique. She walked up to the counter and said, "Excuse me, Miss? I'm picking up a dress that was left here for me?"

The woman at the counter smiled and said, "I can definitely help you with that. Last name?"

Olivia smiled and said, "Rubino." Not her last name, but the name that was given to the store. There couldn't be any link to her, nothing with her real name on it.

"Ah," the clerk said. "Gia Rubino," she said with a smile. She turned around, rifling through a rack of plastic wrapped dresses. "Here it is," she said, grabbing one and turning back toward Olivia. "It's been paid for, in full. The receipt is stapled to the bag. It's a gorgeous dress! Is it being worn for someone special?"

"Yes," Olivia said, taking her dress. "Very special," she said with a wicked grin. "Thanks." She walked out of the shop and into the nearest restaurant, using the bathroom to change. When she stepped out of the bathroom in the new dress, a pair of killer heels, and with her hair down, she turned heads. She smirked, knowing this would be an easy collar, and she walked out of the doors, back into the New York night.

She pulled out her cell phone, dialed a number, and when her contact picked up she said, "This better be worth it." She laughed at something the person on the other end of the line said, then replied with, "Oh, I know I look hot. But do I look like a wealthy Italian socialite who's about to trade information with a Russian spy?" She laughed again. "Good, then you picked out the right dress. No, I'm walking in now, I gotta go. I know you'll be watching. You got my back." She hung up her phone and walked into Bella Occhi, an upscale Italian trattoria. It's name meant 'Beautiful Eyes' in English.

She found her table, the corner one in the front by the window, and she waited. She looked around the place, catching the eyes of her team and a few men who were giving her flirtatious looks, and when the man she was waiting for walked in, she took a deep breath. "Vlad," she said with a bright smile. "So glad you could make it."

* * *

Across the restaurant, an actual pair of beautiful eyes, blue ones, was staring at her. "God damn it," he mumbled.

"Elliot," the blonde sitting with him called, "What is it?"

"Nothing, Kathy," Elliot said. "Nothing at all, just, uh, what were you saying?"

Kathy, Elliot's wife, rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening?" she asked. "What the hell are you looking at over...Jesus, Elliot, really? Are we only here because you knew she would..."

"No, Kathy," Elliot interrupted with a sigh. "I had no idea she would be here. Trust me." He tried to pay attention to his wife, but he could not take his eyes off of Olivia. She looked beautiful, that dress and those heels made every curve of her body look amazing, because she was amazing and the man sitting with her didn't deserve her. Yeah, he figured, he was jealous.

* * *

"You look gorgeous," Vlad told Olivia, smiling.

Olivia tried to be coy and look away shyly as she thanked him, and that's when she saw him, staring at her with those intense blue eyes, something dark and evil in them. "Shit," she spat under her breath, turning toward Vlad suddenly. "Uh, I just remembered, I have a very important event I have to be at in about ten minutes. I double-booked myself, it seems," she said with a bright smile and light laugh. "Do you have the disk?"

"Of course," Vlad replied, "But the question is, Gia, do you have the money?"

Olivia took a deep breath, knowing that Elliot was watching her, and he would instantly think the wrong thing. "Yes," she said, bringing her red clutch up to the table. "Cash," she said, unclasping it and pulling out a sealed white envelope, thick, filled with money.

Vlad grinned. "Perfect, Gia darling," he said, his thick accent dripping proudly from each word. He slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out a small, round, silver mini-disc. "Do you want to count to three?" he chuckled.

"I trust you," Olivia said, tilting her head slightly. She dropped the envelope onto the table and slid it toward him, hoping and praying that Elliot had picked that moment to pay attention to his wife.

* * *

"What the hell is going on over there?" Elliot asked, confused.

Kathy, irritated, said, "She's on a date, Elliot. Like we are supposed to be."

"You're my wife," Elliot said, not tearing his eyes off of Olivia and the smug-looking foreigner she was with. "We don't go on dates."

"Oh, that's pretty damn clear," Kathy said, folding her arms.

Elliot furrowed his brow as he watched Vlad slide the disc toward Olivia and take the envelope. He growled slightly as he watched Vlad lift Olivia's hand to his lips, kissing each knuckle. He let out a sigh of relief when he watched Vlad get up to leave, but he panicked when he saw Olivia slip the disc into her clutch, rise from her seat, and pull out her cell phone as she, too, walked out of the restaurant.

"I'm sorry, Kathy," Elliot said, throwing his napkin onto the table. "I have to go. I think she's in trouble," he said, walking toward the door.

"Christ, Elliot," Kathy yelled. "You can't just let her go home with another man?"

Elliot cringed at the thought, then said, "That's not what she's doing. Something's wrong." He walked out, looking in all directions, finally seeing her silhouette in a shadowed area to his left. He walked toward her, reaching for his gun, just in case she was in some kind of trouble. He stopped when he saw the man she had been with sitting, cuffed, in the back of a black sedan and heard her speak.

"You were a great help, Vlad," Olivia said, running her hands over Vlad's chest, finding the pocket in his jacket that held the money. "Really, you were." She slapped the envelope against her leg, and said, "On behalf of the CIA, thanks." She slammed the door in the man's shocked face and watched the car pull away, driving fast down the road. She closed her eyes and sighed, saying, "You can come over here now."

"What the hell was that, Liv?" Elliot asked, stepping toward her. "You have all your dates arrested? No wonder you never get a second one."

Olivia chuckled, turning to him. "El, I wasn't on a date. Not really."

"Yeah," Elliot whispered. "I know that." He looked her in the eyes and said, "I thought you said you would never lie to me."

"I've never lied to you," Olivia said. "I just never told you about this. There's a difference."

"The fuck there is, Liv!" Elliot yelled. "The CIA? Central...the goddamned government...how could you not tell me about this? I'm your partner! Your best friend! Your..."

"Don't," Olivia warned. "Don't say it. I know. Okay? I know. But...I couldn't tell you. You weren't supposed to find out."

Elliot looked at her, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion. "Olivia," he said, "If that's your real name, you need to tell me. Everything."

Olivia nodded. "I know I do," she said. "You're not gonna like it, El. In fact, what I'm about to tell you is going to change your life. Destroy your marriage. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that."

"Liv," Elliot said, rolling his eyes, "You know damn well there's not much of a marriage left to destroy."

Olivia took a deep breath and started walking toward the car, speaking. "When I tell you, you're gonna be...involved. Very involved. You gonna be okay with that?"

"Involved?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow, following her to the black car that had been left for her.

"Get in," Olivia said, clicking the button on the key.

Elliot did, then said, "Do not drive until you talk to me."

Olivia smirked and took the key out of the ignition. She turned to face him and said, "I work for the CIA."

"I got that part, thanks," Elliot said.

"Yeah," Olivia laughed. "Who I am at SVU, who you know, El, that's me. Really me. Olivia Benson is my real name, and everything you know about me is the absolute truth. Like I said, I have never lied to you. There's something about you...I can't lie to you."

Elliot exhaled sharply. "Well, that's a relief. So what are you doing in the SVU if you work for the CIA?"

"That's the assignment," Olivia shrugged. "I'm supposed to get in, get close, get real, get the bad guy." She looked out at the road in front of her and said, "The cases we solve, you and me, usually lead to intelligence cases that my other partner and I work. Like tonight. We found Vlad Rudetsky through Wilmer Reilly."

"The hump who liked to hang hookers from ceiling fans?" Elliot asked, shocked. "Shit. And I'm your partner," he said, bitterly. "You only have one from now on. Me. You said talking about it would make me 'involved' so that's what I want. If I'm gonna be involved, I'm your partner."

Olivia looked at him, shocked. "You can't be serious."

Elliot looked into her eyes. "I am," he said. "I'm also trying very hard to stay calm here, so just tell me you can make that happen, before I really flip out on you."

"I'll see what I can do," Olivia said, surprised.

"What was on the disc?" Elliot asked, running a hand down his face.

Olivia didn't miss a beat, answering him quickly. "Names and Addresses of every politician in the city. If I didn;t get it away from him, he was gonna sell it to someone else. Someone who'd use it to blackmail each and every one of them before he killed them."

Elliot nodded, biting his lip. "Okay," he breathed. Then he asked, "Why the double life, Liv? Why not just pick..."

"Because, Elliot, I've been with the CIA longer, and they've been after someone for a very long time. Six years ago, they put me on the case. I'm still on the case. I'm getting close, I'm getting really...too close, actually."

Elliot let out a harsh breath and said, "So you were assigned to the unit, by the CIA, told to be yourself, earn someone's trust just to turn them into the CIA?"

"Pretty much," Olivia said, nodding. "I loved the job, and my partner, so much, I stayed. I'm what they call a 'clandestine agent', El. I work with them only when a case arises through what we do at SVU. My main focus is one person...well, let's just say, I boffed it up pretty badly."

"Really?" Elliot asked. "How? You're always so good with details and we close cases in record time. How did you fuck up this case?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, for one thing, I wasn't supposed to get this close to you," she said. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Elliot nodded. "But I guess I had a hand in that one."

Olivia glanced at him and smirked. "You had more than just your hand in it," she teased.

Elliot laughed. "True," he said. "Uh, can we, maybe, talk about that later? Tell me where the mistake is. Maybe I can help you fix it, that way you can finally close the case, and won't have to...

"El," Olivia interrupted, "I'm not leaving SVU, relax. But I'm not leaving the CIA either. I can do both." She ran a hand through her hair and said, "So the mistake, the flaw in my plan, was I kind of fell in..." she stopped, looking at him. He had a goofy grin on his face, waiting for her to say the words. She didn't. "I got too close to you, and it clouded my judgment. Made me a little hesitant to get close to my real target, and my target push me away. Now the person I'm chasing doesn't trust me, at all."

Elliot laughed. "That's ridiculous," he said. "Liv, who in their right mind wouldn't trust you?"

Olivia looked into Elliot's eyes, she took a breath, and she said, as calmly as she could, "Your wife."

**A/N: What do you think? It's an idea that was floating around in my head, I had to write it down. Stop? Continue? Tell me what you think here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

Olivia started the car, taking Elliot's silence in stride. "I told you, telling you everything would change your life. El, you don't even know who she is."

"My wife?" Elliot finally said, realizing they were moving. "What the fuck does Kathy have to do with anything?"

"She's not who you think she is," Olivia said, turning down a street. "I really shouldn't even be telling you this, but seeing as how you just demanded to be my partner..."

"Fucking tell me," Elliot almost yelled. "Liv, what kind of shit did I step in with her?"

Olivia sighed, turning down yet another road. "Kathy Malone, your wife, was born Katarzyna Malokowski, daughter of Franciszek Malokowski. Frank, your father-in-law, is an international..."

"Are you gonna use the word 'spy.' Liv?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow. "I feel like I'm listening to Munch."

"Half of what the man says is true, Elliot," Olivia sighed. "I laugh because civilians aren't supposed to know any of it." She glanced at Elliot, saw his shocked face, and said, "Can we get back to the point?"

"Yeah, so Frank Malone is a Polish spy," Elliot said, clearing his throat. "Why are you after Kathy and not him?"

Olivia changed lanes and turned another corner. "Frank got out of the game when he ran into a double-agent in Poland. Coming close to getting caught scared him straight, and he handed the business over to Kathy."

"Wait, so now you're telling me Kathy's a spy? Liv, I would have known," Elliot said, rubbing his palms into his eyes.

"Did you know I was?" Olivia asked.

"No, but I'm not living with you!" Elliot spat. "Christ, my whole fucking world just came down around me. What kind of spy? Like Austin Powers, stupid disguises..."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "No. And some of my disguises are not that stupid," she said. "She's running one of the country's largest drug ring. Six years ago, it escalated."

"Escalated how, Olivia?" Elliot said, growing irritated. "Why the fuck is the CIA after my wife?"

"She's now involved in human trafficking," Olivia said, stopping the car. "That's why, when she married you, she pushed you so hard to become a cop and volunteer for SVU. She needed the insider information from Sex Crimes, to learn how to get around the laws."

Elliot closed his eyes and his head flew back into the seat of the car. "I'm married to one of the monsters that it's my job to put away," he mumbled. "How the fuck didn't I know?"

"You didn't pay enough attention to her," Olivia said.

"Liv," Elliot said, popping his head up and looking right at her, "When she told you she wanted a divorce, and you talked her out of it, were you doing that for me? Or because my leaving her would jeopardize your case?"

Olivia scoffed. "Did you really just ask me that?"

"It's a legitimate question," Elliot barked.

"For you," Olivia answered just as harshly. "Yeah, you staying with her made it easier to get to her, but damn it, Elliot, you're my..."

"If the next words out of your mouth are 'best friend,' I'm gonna be pissed," Elliot interrupted.

"Partner," Olivia said, bitterly, knowing what he wanted her to say and refusing to say it. "I was trying to keep your family together, not knowing that three days later you'd have me pinned against the damned wall in the fucking locker room."

Elliot grunted. "Yeah, well, you should have just fucking told me what was going on, Liv. I would have stayed with her for you. God, I wanted her to sign the damn papers! I wanted her to leave! I was gonna ask her tonight if...shit," he garbled.

"Get out," Olivia said, taking her key out of the ignition.

"What?" Elliot spat. "Liv, what are you..."

"We're here," Olivia said. "Get out of the car, come in with me, and we'll really talk about this."

Elliot looked out of the window at the black, glass building, and he opened the car door, slamming it behind him. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Elliot Stabler," Olivia said, walking around to him, "Welcome to the CIA."

* * *

Elliot had spent an hour looking around Olivia's office, staring at the pictures she had up of the two of them, looking through old files, understanding what exactly it was that she did for a living. "So," he finally said, turning to her, "Kathy's your target."

"Yes," Olivia said, shaking her head with a sigh.

"And in six years, you couldn't get her," Elliot said, walking over to her and folding his arms. "That's shit, Liv. You're the best..."

Olivia interrupted him. "El, I've gotten a lot of the people beneath her, and they all gave me her name. I have no solid evidence, though. She's never left a paper trail, no fingerprints, she's never been in the room when we were listening, or watching."

"Because she knows not to be," Elliot said, his eyes widening. "Fuck, Liv, I taught her how to get around...I told her about all the dumb shit perps have done to get themselves caught and...damn it!"

Olivia held up a hand. "Don't blame yourself, El. None of this was your fault. She was involved in this long before she even met you. Her father had her roped into it all by eighth grade."

"Well," Elliot said, sighing, looking at her. "What do you want me to do?"

Olivia's eyes snapped to his. "What do you mean?"

"I'm helping you," Elliot said, throwing an arm up. "I'm your partner now. What do you want me to do?"

Olivia's tongue ran over her lips before her bottom one was scraped between her teeth. "El, I can't bring you into..."

"I...am...your...partner," Elliot said, stepping toward her. "For better or worse, remember? And this is probably the worst, since my perp is my wife, but..."

"Fine," Olivia said, huffing. "Don't let her know that you know. Nothing changes, got it? If you act any differently toward her..."

"Oh, trust me," Elliot said. "I won't. I will stay just as distant and non-committal as I am now. And I'm probably not allowed back in my house tonight, considering I left her at the table to come rescue you."

"I didn't need rescuing," Olivia said. "Even if I was on an actual date, I wouldn't need you to come rescue me."

"I know that," Elliot said. He sighed and turned away from her. "But you have to understand..." he paused, sitting on the leather couch in her office. "Liv, I can't help how I feel about you, how I react when I think you might be in trouble, how jealous I get when you go out with other guys."

Olivia smirked. "Says the married man," she teased.

"Uh, hi, I was trying to end that marriage tonight," Elliot said. "You know that I love..."

"Don't," Olivia commanded, looking down. "Don't say it. Not here, not now." She reached for a thick file and handed it to him. "Read that," she said, nodding. "I have to go clear this whole partner thing with my director. Stay here, don't move, and read."

Elliot smirked at her. "I love when you get dominant," he snarked.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia said. "You being my partner here is a really good idea," she said, her words dripping with biting sarcasm. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, leaving the room to speak with her superior, hoping she wouldn't be in too much trouble for telling him too soon, and hoping Elliot wouldn't be too pissed off when she told him this was all planned.

* * *

"You sure you wanted to come back here, tonight?" Olivia asked, pushing the door to her apartment open. "My director was kind of hard on you, and you have a lot of things to think about."

"I'm sure," Elliot said. "You know I'd rather be with you than Kathy. Especially now. So, Kline wanted me on your team, and he wanted you to ask me. Then, uh, why didn't you just ask me to help you?"

Olivia shrugged, grabbing two beers out of the fridge. "I was going to. You offered...no, you fucking demanded to be my partner before I could." She held out a bottle to him as she snapped the cap off of her own with her thumb.

Elliot chuckled, taking the bottle from her hands. "I guess I did," he said, twisting the cap off. He eyed her as he took a long swallow. "That dress," he said. "Damn it, baby, you look fucking amazing in that dress."

Olivia rolled her eyes as she sipped her beer. "I wouldn't normally wear something like this on a date," she said.

"Oh, if you did, you would have no problem getting date number two," Elliot said. "You might give the man a damned heart attack, though."

"This dress," Olivia said, taking another sip, "Was part of a cover. I was supposed to be a rich socialite, El. I could never afford this on my own."

"You get to keep it, right?" Elliot asked, stepping toward her, slowly reaching out and running his hand down her body. "I mean, you could wear it again, if you wanted to. Tell me why you wouldn't wear this on a real date."

Olivia moaned as Elliot's hand slid back up and around, caressing then cupping her ass. "Because I wouldn't waste a dress like this on a guy I know wouldn't be..." she felt Elliot's hand sliding down, working back up, under the dress. "Right," she finished.

"What if I took you out," Elliot said softly, putting his beer down so his left hand could join his right, under the material of the dress. "Liv, if I asked you out, would you wear this for me?"

"No," Olivia answered, smirking.

Elliot tilted his head, giving her ass a squeeze. "Why not?"

"Because you've already seen me in it," Olivia said. Her head dropped to his and she asked, "What are we doing?"

"I have no idea," Elliot said. "I should be so fucking mad at you, but I'm not. I'm actually...intrigued, excited, turned-on. You're this incredibly hot government agent, and you drive me crazy." He pulled one hand out from under her dress and brought it to the back of her neck. "I need you to swear to me, Liv, that you will never lie to me again."

Olivia pushed away from him, slightly. "I told you, I won't. I have never lied to you. Not really. In fact, I've been more honest with you than..." she paused, tilting her head. "Why, what do you want to know?"

Elliot looked into her eyes, knowing that's the only way he could see the truth. "Me," he said. "Was I part of it? I mean, were you just using me to get to Kathy?"

"Elliot," Olivia said, sounding offended and hurt. "No! I was assigned to SVU as your partner to get to her, but that's as far as it went. I was supposed to be her friend, get her to trust me, so no, falling in love with you was not part of the plan!"

Elliot smirked, and he let out a light chuckle.

"What the hell is so funny about me being pissed off right now?" Olivia said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Elliot said. "You look hot when you're angry, and I'm a little afraid of you. But, uh, I got you to say it."

Olivia folded her arms. "You didn't get me to say anything...okay," she said, realizing it, nodding her head. "I said it, ya happy?"

"Say it again," Elliot demanded playfully, picking up his beer and taking a sip.

"No, I'm not saying it again. You heard it once, that's enough," Olivia said, shoving Elliot toward the bedroom. "Get changed and get to bed, we have a really long day tomorrow."

Elliot laughed. "Come on, Liv, just say it! See, I can say it. I love you. I love you. It's easy."

"Bed, Stabler," Olivia spat, pushing him into the bedroom. She opened her top drawer and threw him a pair of his sweatpants.

"Liv," Elliot said in a sing-song manner, "I promise I will go to bed quietly if you tell me you love me."

"No," Olivia said, walking toward the bathroom, reaching a hand over her head, then straining it behind her back. "Shit," she huffed. "El, can you unzip me?"

Elliot walked toward her, slowly unzipped her dress, then kissed the back of her neck. He trailed kisses down her spine and whispered, "Tell me you love me, Liv."

Olivia turned around, looked him in the eyes, cupped his face, and said, so softly, "I love you."

"I know you do," Elliot said, smiling at her. "That's why you were trying so hard to protect me and my kids," he said. "That's why it's taken you six years to tell me all of this, and why you haven't ripped her out of my life in cuffs yet. You have the evidence, Liv, I know you do. You just didn't want to hurt me, or hurt the kids, right?"

Olivia was silent.

"So we do it together, now that I know, and you don't have to hurt anyone," Elliot said. "Was that your plan? Is that why you took that Vlad guy to the same restaurant I told you I was taking Kathy? Is that why..."

"Damn, El," Olivia interrupted. "You are gonna fit right in at the CIA."

Elliot chuckled. "Nothing you do gets passed me," he said. "Well, except the whole spy thing, but nothing else. Because I know you. I know you and I love you."

"El," Olivia said, taking his hand in hers, "It's really hard for me to hear that, especially from you, and it's hard for me to say. You know it, you have to know it."

"I do," Elliot nodded.

Olivia looked up at him and said, "You are the only person in my life that I can trust. I can't risk losing that."

"You won't," Elliot said, a promise, "But, baby, I'm sure you can trust Cragen with this, can't you?"

Olivia laughed, a disbelieving laugh. "El, you're about to find out that we can't trust anyone in that unit." She kissed him quickly and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Elliot stood, flabbergasted by her last comment. He would find out all too soon how very right she was.

**A/N: What do the people in the squad do? What are they involved in? What happens when Kathy finds out Elliot knows her secret? More? Review, here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

Elliot woke up the next day, tried to roll over away from Kathy, but took a deep breath and smiled. The woman in his arms wasn't Kathy, and he didn't want to roll away from her. "Morning," he whispered, squeezing her closer to him and letting out a mild grunt.

Olivia blinked then looked up at him. "Good morning," she said, unsure of how to react to this, seeing that she'd admitted more than she cared to the night before, changing both their professional and personal relationships.

"So how do we do this?" Elliot asked, sighing.

"That's a good question," Olivia replied, tugging herself out of his arms.

Elliot scoffed. "Not…not, uh, this," he said, linking his hand with hers. "I know how to do this. I meant, how do we walk into the sqaudroom today and pretend that everything's fine? How do I go home to Kathy tonight, pretending I don't know that she's a fucking criminal? How do I do my job, and look at you, knowing that you put your career on the line because you didn't want to rip my family apart? Liv, that's asking a lot."

"It's asking way too much," Olivia said, letting his hand go, getting out of the bed, and heading for the bathroom.

Elliot followed her, getting up from the other side. "I didn't say that, baby. I just said…"

"Don't," Olivia said, turning around and pointing her toothbrush at him. "Don't call me that. You know…you seem to think this is some kind of…"

"It is," Elliot interrupted. "You're the one holding back. I know why, and I'm not going anywhere, so you just keep being stubborn and afraid, and I'll be right here beside you, showing you that there's absolutely nothing you can do to get rid of me."

Brushing her teeth, Olivia scoffed. "Just wait," she said, her mouth full of toothpaste. "I'll fuck it all up somehow."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Last night, you told me my wife was a Polish drug lord and sex slave trader, you told me you were in the CIA and the only reason you were even my partner was because you were after her," he said. He pointed to himself and said, "Still here."

Olivia spit into the sink, looked at him, and said, "You're a masochist."

"No," Elliot said, stepping into the bathroom. He looked into her eyes and said, "I'm just in love with you."

Olivia's breath caught in her throat and just as she opened her mouth to argue again, the alarm went off. She dropped her eyes from his, pushed passed him, and headed for her closet.

Elliot watched her go, knowing that the only way to prove that he wasn't going to be like every other man she'd been with, was to prove he was choosing her, once and for all. He had to help her get Kathy.

* * *

They walked into the bullpen of their unit with two coffees as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. As if they weren't operating under a whole new set of rules and standards. As if Elliot's whole life hadn't been turned on its ear. As if Olivia hadn't said the "L-Word" for the first time in her life. As if they hadn't spent the night fucking each other senseless.

Cragen came out of his office, cutting through the unnoticeable tension, and handed Elliot a pink slip. "You two," he said, frowning. "You've got a DB on Forty-Ninth. Twenty-two year old pro, strangled with her fishnets and branded with an 'M' on her thigh. Ring a bell?"

"Shit," Elliot said, ripping the paper from Cragen's hand.

Olivia's eyes widened. "How is that possible?" she asked. "We nailed that son of a bitch!"

"He got out," Cragen said. "Or it's a copycat. Or he wasn't working alone the first time. Just go. Canvass the scene and talk to Warner."

"Damn it," Olivia spat, pulling out her cell phone. As she and Elliot walked out, coffees in hand, she dialed a number. She talked as they walked. "Conrad," she said as someone obviously picked up, "How did this…you know what I'm…what? Team of what? Oh, that's fucking great. Yeah. No, we're on it. Cragen handed it right to us. No, it shouldn't be a problem." She sent Elliot a glance, gauging if she had just lied to her director, Conrad Kline. "We'll be fine. Ha, I know. There is no conflict of interest in the CIA, that's why you haven't pulled me off the case. You're making me learn that the hard way. Well, easy now, I guess. Right. Bye."

Elliot shot Olivia a look as he opened the car door for her. "I'm guessing the cases we're working here are related."

Olivia sighed and nodded. "The 'M' on their thighs, El, is a brand of ownership."

"Someone is branding these girls like...like cattle?" Elliot asked, closing her door. He ran around and got into the driver's side. "And, judging by what I got from that conversation with Kline, the 'M' stands for Malokowski. These are Kathy's girls."

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding as Elliot started the car. "She's got a team of what Kline has dubbed 'diposers.' When a girl isn't useful anymore, one of her men…"

"Rapes them one last time, as a fucking farewell, and kills them," Elliot said, angry now.

Olivia bit her lip. "I'm so sorry about all of this. This is all stuff you…"

"Should have known years ago!" Elliot yelled. "You should have told me, Liv. Fuck protocol, screw codes of conduct and vows of silence and shit. You should have fucking told me!"

"Elliot, I couldn't tell you until I was sure you weren't a part of it!" Olivia yelled back.

Elliot was taken aback, shocked. "What? Liv, how could you even…"

"And when I was sure," Olivia continued, cutting him off, "I couldn't hurt you like that. I'd already fallen…it was just too fucking late." She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that! For the first six months, you were a fucking suspect. I have files on you that would make your eyes pop. I know shit about you that you don't even fucking know about yourself, okay? It's the C I fucking A. But I let it all go and forgot all about it when I cleared you, which I worked non-stop for those five months doing. I never, not once, believed you were helping her."

Elliot finally let out a breath, taking another one. "That's all I needed to hear." He blinked quickly a few times and then asked, "So these, uh, files…what was…is…what's in them?"

"Stop lying to me about your mother," Olivia said softly.

"Shit," Elliot chuckled. "Okay, what else?" he asked. "Is there anything at all you don't know about me?"

Olivia looked at him, tilted her head, and said, "Yes. But I don't think I wanna know it. Not yet anyway."

"Well, what is it? I wanna be able to tell you some things," Elliot said. "I don't want you to think I was hiding things, or purposely keeping things from you. Just ask me, Liv. You know I'd tell you anything."

Olivia cleared her throat and looked out the window, watching the scenery as the car turned down the road. "When?" she asked.

"When…what?" Elliot prodded.

"When did you fall in love with me?" Olivia asked. "Was it a moment? Was it a bunch of moments? Was it over time, was it all at once? I just…I don't get it."

"Don't get it?" Elliot asked. "What's not to get?"

Olivia shook her head. "Later," she said. "Just answer the question. You can aske me whatever you want later."

Elliot snickered. "That's it? That's your question?" he asked. He parked the car behind a squad car and pulled the key out of the ignition and then turned to look at her. "Well, uh, I knew I was falling in love with you in a moment. During the Vabenetti case. We'd been up for almost thirty straight hours, and you were still going. You were so determined, so fucking tireless, and you pushed us all to move our asses to save that kid. I knew then, I was fighting a losing battle. Then, the moment I knew I was really in love with you…" he paused, not sure how he could tell her this.

"I'm listening," Olivia said, not liking the silence, because she didn't exactly like the topic of conversation. "El?"

"When your mother died," Elliot said. "Cragen told you to take time off and you came in the next day like nothing had happened."

"Yeah, so?" Olivia spat, softly, not wanting to recall that day.

Elliot shook his head and chuckled. "You always use work as an escape, just like I do. You work because your vics' problems are always worse than your own, and for a brief moment, your life isn't about you. But that day, you came in, and I knew that you never think of yourself, ever. Even when you aren't at work. You are the most selfless human being on the face of this Earth, and it's the most beautiful thing." He smiled at her. "But I also wanted nothing more to hold you that day, tell you it was okay to cry, because I knew damn well you needed to, and I wanted to be the one you finally let those walls down with. When that thought entered my head, Liv, I knew I was in love with you."

Olivia let a small smile pass over her lips. "That was a long time ago, El."

"Five years," Elliot said, nodding. "Took me a year to finally let it happen, but when it did, damn did it hit me hard." He shook his head and said, "We should probably go do our jobs now."

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. "But before we do," she said, "So you know, if you have so much as rested a hand on my shoulder that day, I would have fallen right into your arms and cried. You're the only one I trust enough to let those walls down in front of, El. Never forget that."

Elliot smiled at her as he opened his car door, getting out. Olivia did the same, and they walked in step toward the body of dead prostitute, who apparently used to work for Elliot's wife.

Olivia stepped closer to the body as Elliot stopped to talk to Warner. She knelt down, examining the ligature marks around her neck and the raised scar, in the shape of an 'M' on her left thigh. She let her eyes zoom in on each inch of the woman's body, searching for new evidence, and she gasped. "Oh, my God," she said, shocked, lifting up the victim's hand. "Elliot!" she called.

Elliot ran over, knelt down, and said, "What?" panicked.

Olivia tilted the girl's hand toward him. "She's wearing Kathy's wedding ring."

Elliot looked at Olivia, then stood up and looked around the crime scene. "Liv," he said, lowering his voice. "Baby, I think she knows."

"About what?" Olivia asked, just as softly, rising to her feet next to him.

Elliot let his eyes meet Olivia's and his look softened, filling with love with a hint of worry, as he didn't know exactly what he was dealing with yet. He took a deep breath and let it out as he said, "Everything."

**A/N: Does Kathy know? What does she do about it? And Munch proves one of his conspiracies right, much to Olivia's dismay. Will it force her to tell him her secret? Want more? Review! Here or on Twitter: TMG212  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

"You gonna be okay?" Olivia asked, pulling the car up to the curb in front of Elliot's house.

"Yeah," Elliot sighed. "Just go in there, act like nothing's changed, try to smooth things over. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, right?"

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"Hey," Elliot said, turning to her as his hand rested on the door handle. "You never answered my question."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "It's almost two in the morning, we've had a shitty day, what question?"

"What's not to get?" Elliot asked, shaking his head.

Olivia was silent for a moment. "I don't get how or why you're in love with me," she said. "It just doesn't make sense to me, El, and part of me really believes that..."

"I'm not?" Elliot asked, assuming that's what she was going to say. "You think I'm only just saying it to get you in bed, right? Like..."

"Don't even say his name," Olivia warned. "It wasn't just him, Elliot. Every man I've ever been with...I'm not used to someone actually, really loving me, so when you say it, when you call me things like 'baby' and 'honey,'" she paused, scraping her teeth over her lip. "It's uncomfortable for me, because I don't...part of me doesn't believe you."

Elliot leaned over the console, looking into her eyes. "You will," he said, softly. He kissed her gently, then got out of the car, heading into his house, hoping it wouldn't be the start of a third World War.

"Elliot," Kathy said, greeting him at the door. "Where were you last night? You didn't come home!"

Elliot squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Work. Right after I ran after Olivia, who was in trouble by the way, thanks for asking, we got called in. We were on a case until close to three in the morning. I crashed at the station." The lies came so easy now, he didn't feel guilty at all.

"Oh," Kathy said with a sigh. "Do you want a drink?" she asked, sincerity in her voice. She stepped closer to him and ran her hands up his chest. "Or something a little stronger?" she asked suggestively.

Elliot cringed at her touch, grabbing her hands and sliding them off his body. "Kathy, I'm exhausted. I really just...you're wearing your ring."

"Of course I am," Kathy said. "I never take it off. Elliot, come on, let's go upstairs and...hey!" She seethed in pain as her hand was yanked closer to Elliot.

Elliot looked at the ring, studying it. It looked identical to the one he and Olivia had found on their dead hooker. He dropped her hand and ran one of his own through his hair. "I think I'm gonna have that drink, now."

Kathy sighed, following him into the kitchen. "Elliot," she said, "You've been distant and combative for, Jesus, for years. And you haven't touched me in months. What is going on with you? Is it her?"

"For fuck's sake, Kathy, no," Elliot said. "I just...I'm not...we don't..."

"Finish a sentence," Kathy spat. She folded her arms and asked, "What is going on with you? With us?"

Elliot took a deep breath, then drank down half of the beer he'd taken out of the fridge. He squeezed his eyes tight, knowing he had to lie, he had to stay as close to her as possible without causing suspicion, since she probably already knew about a few things. "Nothing," he said. "It's me, Kathy. I'm just, tired all the time, and my head isn't where it needs to be. It's this job."

"You can't quit," Kathy said, her eyes wide. "I mean, you love your job. You would hate doing anything else."

"I'm not gonna quit," Elliot said. "I, uh, just need..."

"Daddy?" a small voice behind him said.

Elliot turned and smiled. One of his reasons for living, for even being married any longer, walked over and hugged him. "Hey, Lizzie," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Daddy, I have to talk to you," Lizzie said, whispering.

Elliot looked down at his daughter, then nodded. "Okay, sweetheart," he said.

Lizzie took his hand, then pulled him quickly up the stairs and into her room. "Dad," she said, "I think something's happened to Maureen."

"What?" Elliot asked, panicked now. "What do you mean?"

Lizzie bit her lip. "One of mom's friends dropped her off after school, and she didn't look good. She was pale, kind of sweaty, she looked like she was half-asleep."

"Oh, God," Elliot said, running a hand over his face. Those were signs of either severe injury or drug use. "Honey, did you tell your mother? Did she do anything?"

"No," Lizzie said. "She just told Mo to take a cold shower, and to get dressed since they were going out."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Your sister went out with your mother? When?"

"Around ten," Lizzie said. "Mom came home, but...but Maureen didn't. I tried to call you, but every time I picked up the phone Mom yelled at me."

Elliot got off of Lizzie's bed. He was pissed. Kathy being a criminal was one thing, but if she was hurting his children, there would be hell to pay. "Lizzie, pumpkin, do not tell your mother you told me any of this." He kissed her cheek. "If she asks, I was reading you a story or something."

"Are you gonna go find Mo?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah," Elliot said with a firm nod. "I am."

Lizzie smiled as she laid back in her bed. "You gonna take Olivia with you?" she asked.

"What? Honey, why would..." Elliot paused, then smiled. "Yeah, Lizzie, I am."

"Bring her home, Daddy," Lizzie said, yawning.

"I will," Elliot said as he walked out of her room, then down the stairs, determined to do just that. "Kathy, I just got a call from Cragen, I gotta go."

"I know," Kathy said, her voice sharp. "Olivia told me. She came to pick you up. How nice of her," she spat, arms folded.

Elliot looked at Olivia quizzically, wondering how she knew to be here at that moment. "Right, well," he said. "We gotta go."

As Elliot passed her, Kathy grabbed him, pulling him toward her and kissing him hard, moaning into it. When she pulled away, she said, "Be careful." Then she brushed her hand over his chest again, fixed his tie, and turned to give Olivia a harsh glare. She just marked her territory, baiting Olivia, seeing if Olivia would do anything.

Olivia, cool as a cucumber, smiled at Kathy. "He'll be careful," she said. She walked toward the door and out of Elliot's house, with him close behind her.

Once in the car, Elliot had to ask. "How did you know I was..."

"Maureen called me," Olivia said, putting her car into drive and peeling away, her tires screeching. "She doesn't know where she is, how she got there, or who she's with."

"Well, then how the fuck are we supposed to find her?" Elliot asked, angry.

"GPS in her phone," Olivia said with a smirk. She tapped her car's GPS and said, "See that blinking red dot? That's her."

Elliot let out a harsh sigh, relived his daughter was okay, and thankful that Olivia had government issued gadgets. "Thank you, baby," he said. He saw her flinch at the use of that name. Then he spoke again. "That hooker wasn't wearing Kathy's..."

"I know," Olivia said. "Kathy gave one just like hers to all of her girls. A gift, to earn their loyalty and their trust. The other vics must have taken them off, or they were taken off. She had them made here," she told him, handing him a jeweler's business card. "I did a little digging while you were patching things up with the little woman."

"Patching things...no,." Elliot said with a scoff. "No way."

"Well, no couple I've ever met, on the brink of divorce, kisses like that," Olivia said, her eyes on the road.

Elliot's eyes popped. "She kissed me, Olivia! I would never..." he paused, seeing the smirk on her face. "Oh, you are something else, you know that?" he said with a small chuckle.

Olivia grinned. "Was it magical, El?"

"Stop it," Elliot said, shaking his head.

"Did you feel sparks? See stars? Fireworks?" Olivia asked, teasing him.

Elliot shook his head again. "Cut it out," he laughed. "I wanted to punch her, Liv. It was the worst feeling ever, and knowing you had to see it," he said, stopping. He looked at her. "I would never do that to you." He took another breath and said, "I only feel sparks, see stars and fireworks, when I'm kissing you, Liv."

Olivia shook her head and stopped smiling. "Don't do that, not now," she said. "We have to get your daughter out of whatever situation she's in, and we have to get her safe. Once we do..."

"I can tell you I love you?" Elliot asked.

Olivia turned down the street, glancing at her GPS. "We're here," she said, ignoring Elliot's last statement-slash-question. She turned the car off, got out, and took her gun out of her holster.

Elliot huffed and followed her, his own gun in his hands, and they entered the building through a side door. They heard loud, thumping music, and the place was only lit by strobe lights. They were thankful, as it made it easier to get through the party unnoticed.

"Up here," Olivia whispered, finding a staircase. "Maureen said she remembered being carried up the stairs."

Elliot stayed close to her, then when they reached the landing, he stepped in front of her. "Maureen?" he asked in a whisper, pushing doors open. "Okay, didn't need to see that," he said, backing out of a room where two very naked people were writhing on a bed. "Maureen?" he asked again.

"Dad?" a faint voice called.

"In here, El," Olivia said, pushing open the door to her left. "Oh, God, Maury!" she spat, kneeling down. She looked around the bathroom and then up at Elliot. "That towel," she said, pointing. "Run it under cold water for me."

Elliot did as she asked, handing her the wet towel. He knelt down on the other side of Maureen and took her hand as Olivia put the cool, wet cloth on her head. "We're here, baby," he said. "Tell me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Hurts," Maureen said, her head falling back. She was close to passing out.

"What hurts, honey?" Olivia asked, looking her over. "You don't look hurt."

Maureen rolled her glassy eyes toward her father. "Leg," she said.

"Liv," Elliot said, holding Maureen's head still. "She's been drugged. Shit, we gotta get her out of here."

"Her leg," Olivia said, lifting her skirt a bit. "Oh, my God, El."

"What?" Elliot asked, looking down. "Son of a bitch," he cursed. On Maureen's right thigh, a red and puffy, oozing wound, in the shape of an 'M' stared back at him. "Okay, baby, just hold on," Elliot told his daughter, lifting her into his arms. He let Olivia go first, with her gun drawn, and as they made their way back out of the building, unnoticed by the partying people, he had never wanted to kill anyone more in his life than he wanted to kill Kathy. They made it to the car, placed Maureen gently in the back seat, Elliot sliding in to hold her. "Liv," he said as she got into the driver's seat, "I..."

"I know, El," Olivia said, hitting the gas, peeling away from the house.

* * *

Elliot had been standing in the same spot for hours, when Olivia finally appeared next to him. "She's gonna be fine," she said.

"I know she is," Elliot responded, not looking at her.

Olivia cracked her knuckles, then said, "The surgeon said he thinks he can fix her leg so it won't scar like the others, and she wasn't raped, El. She's..."

"Her mother did this to her," Elliot said. "The woman who, up until two days ago, I was sure would never hurt her children. My children. This is fucked up, Olivia."

Olivia cringed at his use of her full name. "It is," she said. "And I can't tell you enough how sorry I am about all of this, but we got there in time, she's okay. She's safe. Your other kids are going to..."

"I know, and I thank you for that, but I can't pretend I don't know anymore," Elliot said. "Not now. I'm not that good of an actor, and I'm not as good of a liar as..."

"Me," Olivia said, finishing his thought. She scoffed slightly and looked away from him. "Well, your kids are really gonna like the boarding school they're going to, and you can see them any time you want. Kathy won't be able to get in, though."

"Kline told me," Elliot said. "I didn't mean...I know you never meant to lie to me, Liv."

Olivia nodded.

Elliot turned to her, his eyes tired and sad, and he looked at her. He moved closer and reached out for her hand, taking it. He pulled her closer to him. "Olivia Benson, you are...everything to me. I promise you, I swear to you, I'm not going to hurt you. You have to believe that I will always be there when you wake up in the morning, that no matter what happens, you are the one I want, the one I choose, the one I love."

Olivia looked up, as if thinking, and then met his eyes again. "I don't know how to do this, El," she whispered, her head dropping to his.

"I'll help you figure it out," Elliot told her. "Just let me love you, and love me back," he said softly. "The rest will come so easily, if you do that."

Olivia's answer was a soft, sweet, kiss. Elliot gripped the back of her head, trying to deepen the kiss, but Olivia's phone rang, breaking them apart. "Sorry," she whispered, pecking his lips again. Elliot kissed her neck slowly and softly as she answered the call. "Benson," she said, stifling a moan. "Yeah, we got her out in...how did you know she was...shit. Thanks. No, uh, I'll handle Munch. Right, bye." She hung up and pushed Elliot off of her gently.

"Kline?" Elliot asked, wiping the corners of his lips.

Olivia nodded. "He wanted to know if Maureen was safe."

"How did he know she was even in danger?" Elliot asked, tilting his head.

Olivia put her phone away and said, "We have a lot of informants, El. One of them told Kline who was hosting that little party, who ordered Maureen for the evening."

"You said something about Munch, was it Munch? I'll kill him!" Elliot said with a clenched jaw.

"No, no," Olivia said, resting a calming hand on his chest. "Kline is at a bar, and Munch is there babbling. I just have to convince Munch that one of his incredibly true theories is completely false," she explained.

"So who threw the party?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "Who wanted my daughter to..."

"Fin," Olivia said. She saw the heartbroken look in Elliot's eyes, then kissed him again, hoping to take away some of his pain.

Elliot shook his head as it lingered against Olivia's. "You really are the only person I can trust, aren't you?" he asked her, his eyes closing.

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. She kissed him once more and said, "I am."

**A/N: How did Olivia get the kids away from Kathy and into that school? What theory is Munch spouting? How are they gonna take down Fin? And what does Elliot do and say to Kathy, igniting the flames of a battle he wasn't prepared for? Will Olivia ever accept Elliot's love for her? Find out, if this story continues. Want it to? Tell me here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

"Don't do anything stupid," Olivia said to Elliot as she handed him a cup of coffee from the cart outside the precinct.

Elliot scoffed. "Me? Something stupid? Never," he spat.

"I'm serious, Elliot," Olivia warned. "Part of this job is pretending you don't know half the shit you know, and part of it is forgetting the rest completely."

Elliot scoffed. "You haven't forgotten shit, Liv," he said. "You remember everything you read in those files, don't you?"

"Keyword in part one of that last statement was 'pretend,' El." Olivia ran a hand through her hair and chuckled.

Elliot nodded at her. "I know," he said with a sigh. "Maureen, uh, wanted me to thank you. When we dropped them off at school, they all told me to thank you."

"They don't have to thank me," Olivia said, sipping her coffee and heading up the steps. "I wanted them safe, so I pulled strings. When we get Kathy, they can come home."

"My kids love you, Liv," Elliot said to her. He looked at her with a knowing, loving look in his eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

Olivia cleared her throat. "You know how I feel about you and your kids," she said, whispering back. She shook her head and said, "Okay, so we go in there, and we act natural, El. No one knows that you know anything, and do not hit Fin, El..."

"I'm not gonna let Fin know I know anything," Elliot said. "Not until tonight," he added. He held the door to the station open for her, then asked, "How far are we gonna have to go?"

"As far is it takes," Olivia said. "And get that look off your face," she continued. "I know what you're thinking. The answer is no. I usually work solo but some pain in the ass wormed his way into being my partner."

Elliot smirked, hitting the call button for the elevator. "Yeah, I did. So what we're doing tonight, you've never done before?"

"Not with an actual partner, no," Olivia said. She and Elliot got into the elevator and she looked at him, sipping her coffee. "My old partner was surveillance only. Watched. Listened. Helped. He was never physically by my side," she explained.

"I told you," Elliot said, sighing, "I'm not a very good actor, Liv."

"El," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "This isn't any different than an undercover op. You're brilliant and you know it. You'll be fine."

Elliot smirked and cleared his throat as the doors slid open. He stepped off, followed by Olivia, and said, "I've never been this personally invested in an undercover op, though."

"Hey," Olivia said, grabbing his sleeve. "You can't get that personal with this, either. No matter what, El, you have to stay neutral. Objective. If you let yourself..."

Elliot interrupted her. "Yeah, I know. I'm just saying it's not gonna be easy."

"This job never is," Olivia said. "Welcome to hell, El," she snipped, sipping her coffee and heading into the squadroom.

Elliot followed her, he saw Fin sitting at his desk, and it took every ounce of self control to keep from beating the shit out of him. He watched Olivia calmly greet him as if nothing was wrong. He shook his head and tried to think if there was ever a time she pulled any of that with him. He smirked. He'd never really know.

* * *

It was a hellish day for Elliot. He and Olivia had to work a case with Fin and Munch, all the while watching Fin joke around and act "normal." It wasn't until he was home, in the shower, preparing for the night's work, that he let it all get to him.

Olivia heard the crash and the shattering of glass, and she ran into the bathroom. "Holy shit," she yelled, grabbing a towel. She wrapped it around his bleeding fist, stepping over the shards of glass and metal on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you, Stabler?" she asked in a yell. "You could have really hurt yourself!"

"I didn't," Elliot said, wet, naked, and bleeding. He looked down at her as she pressed the once stark white towel to his hand. "You know how I get when I'm pissed," he said.

Olivia looked up at him. "You broke my mirror," she said. "Did that make you feel any better?"

"Not really," Elliot said. "You know, I'm sitting on the edge of your bathtub, I'm naked, I'm wet, and I'm...

"Bleeding," Olivia said, reaching into the permanently opened medicine cabinet.

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah. And I can't stop thinking about how fucked up this all is, how pissed off I am, and how amazing you're being about it all. Calm, rational, yet still deeply involved. It's..."

"Training," Olivia said. "And...you know," she added. She grabbed bandages and peroxide and started to dress his wound. "You don't think, Elliot! You just get mad and punch the first thing that you..."

Elliot grabbed her by the back of the neck, shocking her, and kissed her. A powerful, body-melding kiss that cut off her words, and her oxygen supply. Elliot pulled away slowly, kissing her softly three times, then rested his head against hers. "I love you," he whispered.

Olivia, looking at him like a deer caught in headlights, pulled away from him. "Turn off the water," she said. "Get dressed," she told him. She put the bandages and the peroxide back into the cabinet, then left the bathroom, saying nothing else.

Elliot sighed, turned off the water, cleaned up the mess he'd made, and got dressed. He was taking on a new role tonight, and if he did it well, he'd not only nail Fin, but he'd convince Olivia he was serious about her.

He walked out of Olivia's bedroom, dressed in his suit, and saw her by the door. He had to remind himself to breathe; she looked gorgeous. "Is that new?" he asked.

Olivia squinted, then realized he meant her dress. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "They dropped it off when you were in the shower, killing my mirror."

Elliot chuckled. "You, uh, you look amazing."

Olivia turned, looked him up and down, and said, "You do, too." She watched him come closer, then grabbed his bandaged hand before he could touch her. "Does it hurt?" she asked in a whisper.

"Not really, no," Elliot said, shaking his head. "It's not even a deep cut, it's nothing...you were so scared, Liv. I've never seen you look like that. You were terrified."

Olivia looked up to meet his eyes. "I always feel that when I think you're really hurt. You just never notice because we're working and I can't let it show."

"Because you love me," Elliot said, leaning closer to her. "Say it, Liv," he whispered, moving closer still. He brushed his lips over hers and whispered, "Or just show me."

Olivia sighed, defeated, and let him kiss her. She was frozen for a moment, then her hand made a quick journey to his face, cupping the side of it gently as the kiss deepened. Elliot moaned when he felt her relax into the kiss, his arms looped around her and one hand slid from her back to the back of her head. He moved forward, holding her, and pressed her against the front door. When she felt the knob, cold and hard in her back, she pulled away from him. "Shit," she mumbled, licking her lips. "We have to go," she said. She turned and opened the door, grabbing an evening bag off the side table as she left.

Elliot sighed, biting his bottom lip, and closed the door, locking it as he followed Olivia. "Liv," he said, walking with her, "How is this gonna work? I mean when Fin sees us, won't he..."

"By the time we get to Fin," Olivia interrupted, "We'll have enough on him to bring him in, El. He won't have time to run or try to explain."

"Is there a point during any of this where I'll be able to kick his fucking ass?" Elliot asked, getting into the car that had come to pick them up.

Olivia laughed as she got in beside him. "Maybe later, El," she said.

Elliot chuckled. "So we just have to convince this guy that we want to go to one of his parties..."

"Throw one," Olivia corrected. "And we have to appear very, um, open. Very...attached to each other."

Elliot smirked and scooted closer to her. "We can do that," he said, kissing her neck.

Their driver looked at them through his rearview mirror, furrowing his brow and scowling slightly. He gasped, breaking Elliot away from Olivia. "You're him? he asked. "The guy that Bogarted my promotion? It was you?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Can we not do this now?" she asked.

"Hold on," Elliot said, turning slightly toward Olivia. "He was your old partner? He's in the...how many of you are walking around out there unnoticed?"

"The point of this job is to go unnoticed," Olivia said. "If anyone knew he was in the CIA, he...wouldn't be, anymore."

"Langan," Elliot said, disbelieving, looking back at him. "What do you mean, promotion?"

Trevor Langan, annoyed, said, "You came along just when they were gonna start sending me out into the field, on actual assignments with her. I wouldn't have been her 'back up' anymore. Shit, Stabler, you just have this habit of getting in my way."

Elliot leaned back, put his arm around Olivia, and said, "Only when it comes to her."

Olivia cleared her throat. "Can you two have this little pissing contest later? We have a job to do," she said. "Elliot, start being a sex-crazed, dominant asshole. We're here."

Elliot chuckled. "This won't be that hard," he said. He waited for Trevor to get out and let him out, then he walked around and opened Olivia's door. He ran his eyes over her body again and said, "Gonna be fucking easy, actually."

Olivia turned and glared at him, then softened her look and gave him a rolling-eyed laugh. They walked into the building, immediately heading up to the office of the man that was expecting them. "You there?" Olivia whispered into her wristwatch as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Trevor replied. "Watching and listening, like always."

Olivia smirked and put her hand up to the door, knocking. She heard a voice say, "Come in," and turned the knob. She felt Elliot's hand on the small of her back, and when he ran it down to squeeze her ass, she knew he'd be very convincing.

"You must be the Sullivans," the man said, rising from his seat. He held out a hand to Elliot first.

Elliot shook it, gripping firmly, and said, "You're Alan, I presume. I'm Collin, nice to meet you." He caressed Olivia's bottom again and pulled her closer. "My wife, Dana."

"You are a very attractive pair," the man named Alan said. "Any party you have will be quite successful. Please, have a seat."

Elliot sat first, then looked up at Olivia. "Sit," he commanded. Olivia sat beside him, and he ran his hands up her legs, turning into her slightly. "Good girl," he cooed.

Alan smirked. "She's obedient," he said.

"Very," Elliot said with a smirk. "That's why I want to throw her a party," he told Alan. "She deserves a treat." He felt Olivia tense a bit when his hands began to travel up her dress, but she remained calm and smiling, her own hands finding their way to Elliot's chest.

Alan cleared his throat. "Well, uh, we have several themes from which you can choose, and our planner is fabulous. He can get you any type of girl you'd like. He has a supplier, and she's got a mind-blowing variety."

"What's his name?" Elliot asked, his hand running over Olivia's stomach in slow, teasing, circles. "Your planner, that is."

"We call him 'O' and he's very capable of giving you anything you want," Alan said, holding a file out to Elliot. "It's a brochure of sorts. Some of his more recent work," he said.

Elliot took the file, keeping one hand on Olivia's body, and he flipped it open with his thumb. The photos showed people at these "parties," some of them were dancing naked together on the tabletops and some were caught in a few compromising positions. Fin was clearly visible in several of the more graphic photos. "You take pictures at these parties, then?" Elliot asked, putting the file down on his lap.

"Pictures, video," Alan said. "Live feed and streaming video through a website is available if the client wants it. Mister Sullivan, your party guests will know they have given up all expectation of privacy and liberty. For three to five hours, they are yours to control. The only other person they would have to listen to, besides you and your wife, is O."

"I would like to meet him first," Elliot said. "Just to discuss our options." He handed Olivia the file and straightened up.

Olivia brought her hand up and brushed her hair behind her ear, whispering a very soft "Go" into her watchband.

"Right," Alan said. He got up, walked over to his desk, and pushed a button on the phone. "Hey, Marge? Can you please send O in here? A potential client would like to meet him."

Alan sat on the edge of his desk, watching Elliot and Olivia tease each other. He swallowed back hard as he watched their hands dance over each other, and he felt himself getting turned on by their actions. "Yes," he said. "You'll have a very successful party, indeed." He watched Elliot caress every inch of Olivia, and just as he saw Elliot move in for a kiss, the door to his office opened. Before Alan could blink, Olivia and Elliot were standing with drawn guns, aimed directly at Fin.

"Shit," Fin spat harshly. He turned to leave but Trevor had his gun drawn on the other side of the door.

"Guess you're coming with us," Olivia said, her eyes narrow. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said, and with the hand not holding her gun she held up the file Alan had given them. "Gotcha," she said with a smirk. She moved slightly, training her gun on Alan, and said, "Both of you."

Fin looked up at Olivia and Elliot with confusion, then, and tilted his head. "I was so careful," he said. "How did you..."

"CIA," Olivia interrupted, smirking.

Fin looked at Alan, saw a murderous look in his eyes, and he gulped. He knew, then, that he was in some pretty deep shit, and he had to do some serious digging to get out of it.

**A/N: What does Fin tell them in their interrogation? Will they finally have a strong enough hold on Kathy? And will Olivia finally admit to herself, and to Elliot, she truly loves him? Covert, chapter 6, if you want more. Let me know here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This was partially inspired by the new show "Covert Affairs." However, there are no characters from that show in this story, and it's not really the same plot. It might even be somewhat similar to "Indefatigable." **

**DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Dick Wolf, but I appreciate him letting me play with them for a bit. I promise to return them when I'm done. Maybe… (Everything else is mine, all mine. TStabler©)**

"I'm tellin' ya, I didn't know she was your daughter!" Fin yelled. He tried to move and winced in pain. His legs were chained to the table legs and his hands were cuffed. "I asked for a blonde, young," he said. "That's what Katarzyna delivered!"

Olivia laughed. "Five years working with Elliot, seeing the photos on his desk, you honestly expect me to believe you didn't know what his daughter looked like?"

Fin grumbled. "I don't fuckin' pay attention to him or what's on his desk," he said. "I spent most of my time watchin' someone else."

Elliot leaned over and narrowed his eyes. "You'd better not be talking about Olivia," he said.

"Admit it," Fin said as he smirked. "You wonder what she's like in bed. What she could do with that body." He looked back at Olivia. "I know what's been goin' through my mind. What she would sound like, feel like. What I could make her do. How much money she could make in a single night."

Elliot kicked Fin's chair, sliding him away from the table, which caused great pain in his ankles and hands. "Eyes forward," he spat. "You don't get to look at her."

Olivia pressed her lips together, controlling her arousal. Elliot was hot when he was pissed, and the vain throbbing in his neck was begging to be bitten and sucked. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "How long have you been doing this, Fin?" she asked. "Or is it O, now? And how the hell can you do what you do...after working in the unit?"

Fin shuffled his way back to the table to ease the strain on his chains. "I was in the industry before the unit. I separate what I do, it's like two different people. Shit, man, I'm in it for the sex and the money. I don't enjoy hurtin' people."

Elliot threw down photos of their victims, and he got in Fin's face. "You don't? You son of a bitch, you witheld evidence," he said. "You knew who these girls were, and you knew where they came from, and you knew who might have killed them. You said nothing. You love hurting people, don't you? Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

"Everyone has their secrets," Fin said, looking from Elliot to Olivia. "If I had said anythin' to you, I would have..."

"Been arrested anyway," Olivia finished, gesturing around her with a smirk. "I would have much rather been brought into a police station by a couple of detectives, Fin. You were collared by two CIA agents and brought to an office at an undisclosed location."

Fin looked at her curiously. "About that," he said. "Why am I here? And how the motherfuckin' fuck did I not know you two were in the CIA?"

Olivia chuckled. "Like you said, Fin. Everyone has their secrets. See, we could have taken you down to the precinct, made you walk through a crowd of your colleagues, but Elliot wanted to take you here. The CIA doesn't have any interrogation regulations." She jutted her chin toward Elliot, who was glaring at Fin and rolling up his sleeves.

Elliot took a step forward, cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, and said, "Now, before I kick your ass for drugging my daughter and almost having her raped, tell me who Katarzyna is."

"Elliot, man, I can't do that," Fin said, squeezing his eyes shut. "She'll kill me."

Elliot smirked. "Oh, she's not gonna kill you ," he said. "I'm gonna kill ya. But you need to tell me who she is, where I can find her. Give her up and make this easier for yourself."

"Look, man, I don't know who she is," Fin said, not liking the look in Elliot's eyes. "I've only talked to her on the phone. She had girls delivered by a guy in a van, we never met."

"Phone number," Elliot said, sliding a Blackberry into Fin's hands. "Dial. Now." Fin dialed the number, but before he could push "send", Elliot ripped the phone out of his hands and handed it to Olivia. "Here ya go, baby," he said, still glaring at Fin.

"Baby?" Fin asked, surprised.

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, Fin," he said. "She's my baby." He averted his eyes, only for a moment, and said, "Liv, honey, can you make that call outside? Fin and I need a moment alone."

Olivia nodded, smirking. She knew she probably shouldn't leave, but Elliot needed to do what he needed to do, and Fin deserved it. She walked out of the room and turned to Kline. She looked toward the glass and said, "He needs to be physically stopped, Conrad. He'll really kill Fin if you let him."

"Right," the director said as he stood in front of the glass. "I'll watch him," he added.

"Thanks for, ya know, that," Olivia said, gesturing toward the room.

"I'm a father," Kline said. "If anyone did anything like that to my daughter, I'd want the same privilege." He smiled at Olivia as she walked out of the room.

Once in the main office, where her desk and those of several other agents were, she hit the "send" button and held the phone to her ear. It rang twice, and when the woman picked up, Olivia, using a thick Russian accent, said, "Yes, I look for Katarzyna Molokowski." She snapped her fingers at a man at a desk, then pointed to the phone. A signal to trace the call and the cell phone. "Yes, good," Olivia said, still putting on her Russian act. "I need brunette. Should be tall, athletic, strong. Age? Age is not problem. Not young, not old. Beautiful. Make sure she's beautiful. Name?" She paused, looking up, thinking. "Kazakov. Kisa Kazakov. You call me back, this number, when you have girl. _Spasibo, horoshaya dama." _She hung up the phone and nodded at the man behind the desk. "What did you get?" she asked.

"Forget that," Elliot said, rubbing his knuckles as he walked over to her. "What the fuck did you say to her?" he asked.

Kline snickered, standing beside him, and rolled his eyes. It had been a while since he had a rookie agent on his hands.

"Thank you, nice lady," Olivia said, smirking.

"I didn't know you could speak Russian, Liv," Elliot said, his eyes slightly wide.

Olivia looked back at the computer and said, "I speak seven languages. It's one of the reasons the agency recruited me for field work." She tapped the screen and said, "We got her. Cell phone is registered to Katherine Stabler, your address, El."

Elliot sighed. "I can't tell you how..." He was interrupted when Olivia's cell phone rang. Olivia took it out of her pocket and looked down, and she made a face at the device. "It's Kathy," she said.

"Answer it," Kline told her.

Olivia tapped the screen and said, "Benson. Oh, hi Kathy. Um, yeah, we're working. Hard case. Oh, uh, yeah. I guess I could use a little relaxation, what do you have in mind?" she asked. She held out a hand and the agent at the desk, who had traced the call, slapped her a hard high-five. "Okay, Kathy. Thanks. Bye," she said, tapping the screen to hang up. She chuckled and looked at Elliot. "Guess I'm going to a party."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Not without me, you aren't," he informed her.

Olivia opened her mouth to answer him, but the Blackberry in her hand rang. She cleared her throat and answered, "Kisa. Da, Katarzyna! Krasivoye! Spasibo! I deal with you. No, you. Spasibo, darling." She hung up and looked at the director. "How am I gonna be the buyer and the product?"

"You're not," Kline said. "Kisa is going to send someone to pick up her girl." He pointed and snapped at the man behind the desk.

"Kisa?" Elliot questioned.

"It means 'kitten," Olivia said. She gave him a knowing look and said, "You have to wait in the car with Freddie. Once I've been, uh, paid for, you can get out and..."

"Arrest my wife," Elliot said, nodding. "Sounds like a plan." He followed her out, followed by the agent named Freddie, and as they headed for the car, he asked her, "You chose the name 'Kisa' because it means 'kitten,' didn't you?"

Olivia sighed. "Yeah," she said. "I had to think of something fast, and that was the first thing..."

"Because I call you 'kitten," Elliot said. He took her hand, looked into her eyes, and said, "I think it's pretty clear that I'm not just in this for the hell of it. Liv, I followed you into hell, here. I'm about to be a part of a covert operation to arrest my own wife. What do I have to do to convince you..."

"Stop," Olivia said. "Elliot, just stop, okay?" she turned to him and heaved an exhausted and defeated sigh. "We've had a long day, and our night is obviously not over. We need clear heads, I need to think about the case, not how in love with you I am."

Elliot stopped moving. "You...you just said..."

"Fucking hell," Olivia spat. "Fine! You wanna hear it so badly? Fine! You speak and I stop breathing," she said, stepping closer to him and gazing into his eyes. "You look at me and I swear to God I can feel your eyes burning my skin. You touch me and my whole body goes completely numb. I can't think straight when I think about you, because you confuse the living shit out of me, and I can't think at all when you're not around because I'm wondering where you are and what you're doing."

Elliot looked at her blankly. He couldn't speak, because she was still talking.

Olivia let out a self-pitying laugh. "The reason I can't let myself go...I can't...is because my entire life has been one big pile of shit. I've never had anyone I can depend on, trust, or love before. Never. I became a CIA agent because the one thing you have to sacrifice here is a family, and for the longest time I didn't have one and I didn't want one, so it made perfect sense. Then I get this case, and I go undercover, and I meet you." She held out an open palm, gesturing to him.

"Me?" Elliot said, a whisper.

Olivia looked up and scoffed. "You turned my world around the minute I fucking laid eyes on you, Elliot." She looked back at him and said, "I got your files, and I learned everything about you, and I fell in love with you, and now I'm screwed. I am so fucking screwed, because I have no idea how to do this!" She was crying, but didn't realize it. She sniffled and let out another depreciative laugh. "I chose a career that was supposed to ensure I'd be alone for the rest of my life. A job that was supposed to make sure I'd never have to live with anybody. But it brought me to you," she said, wiping under eyes. "And now...I can't live without you."

Elliot finally took a breath and a step. "Liv, I..."

Olivia interrupted. "I've tried, so fucking hard, for the last six years, to stay out of your personal life. To try to get to her without involving you, because I couldn't hurt you. I never moved in on you, though I wanted to, because you had a wife and kids, and we had jobs that forbid it. I didn't want to destroy your life. But I have," she said. "I'm trouble, Elliot. I'm danger and I'm trouble."

"Hey, kitten," Elliot whispered, brushing his thumbs under her eyes. "I like trouble, and I live for danger. You have not destroyed my life. You are the only good thing in my life, Liv. Just say it," he begged. "Once, before we close the case that brought you to me, tell me."

Olivia sighed. She let herself smile, she looked into his eyes, and she said, "I love you."

Elliot let a tear run down his own cheek as he kissed her deeply, holding her close.

"Hey," Freddie called from the car. "I don't wanna interrupt this magic moment, but we gotta go." He tapped his watch and waited.

Olivia and Elliot pulled away from each other, more emotional and heated up than they had been in a while. They looked at each other and they both decided, right then, that this would be the last night spent on this case. Kathy was going down, and they were the ones taking her out.

**A/N: Next chap...do they get Kathy? Is a six year case finally coming to a close? Olivia confronts Munch about his theories, too! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: D****o they get Kathy? Is a six year case finally coming to a close?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, narrative, dialogue, and plot are owned by TStabler©**

"You came!" Kathy exclaimed, seeing Olivia walk up to the party house. The car had dropped her off a block away then drove around to the other side of the street.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "I know we don't get along, usually, but your husband is my partner, so I think we should probably try to fix whatever went wrong with us," she suggested, trying to seem natural.

Kathy smirked. "Oh, we're gonna fix it," she said. "Come on in, Olivia. Someone is coming by later, someone I'd like you to meet."

Olivia nodded, then discreetly looked down the street at that parked, black car. She prayed this would go well, and that Elliot wouldn't get as hurt by this as she thought he would.

Kathy led her into the party, the strobe lights blinking and the music blaring were enough of a distraction for Olivia to be able to whisper into her watch and give Elliot and Freddie a soft, "I'm in."

Kathy turned and stopped Olivia from moving. "Oh!" she yelled over the music. "Here! Have a drink!" she exclaimed, grabbing a bottle off of a nearby counter and thrusting it into Olivia's hands.

"Kathy," Olivia said, putting the bottle on a table near her, "Can we go somewhere and talk?" she asked, trying to play the scenario as she normally would. "I mean, you invited me here, and you never ask me to do anything, so…I'm a little confused."

"Olivia," Kathy said, shaking her head. "You said it yourself! You are my husband's partner. And we have to make sure that it's not gonna be a problem anymore."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware it was a problem to begin with," she said. What was Kathy playing at?

Kathy laughed, pulling Olivia through the party and out the back door. She shook her head, took a sip of the drink in her hand, and asked, "You expect me to believe you aren't sleeping with him?"

Olivia's breath hitched. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Kathy's cell phone rang. She knew who it was, so she waited, trying to listen to both sides of the conversation. Hearing Freddie through her earpiece and Kathy next to her, she heard it all.

"Great," Kathy said. "The address I gave Kisa, around the back. We'll be waiting," she said. She hung up and looked at Olivia. "Sorry," she said. "That was, uh, someone who wants to meet you. They're on their way."

Olivia smirked knowingly. "You're not setting me up on a blind date are you?" she asked. She knew the answer was no, Kathy was just setting her up.

"No," Kathy said. "So when did you start fucking my husband?" she asked, suddenly turning. "Does he ever slip and call you Kathy? Because he has called me 'Olivia' and 'Liv' more times than I care to remember. Not in bed, Lord knows he hasn't touched me in what seems like forever. He just calls me by your name in actual, everyday conversation. That means you're fucking him."

Olivia sighed. "Kathy, I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm not even gonna try. It isn't worth it," she said. "But you have to know…he made the first move. I tried to back off. I flat out turned him down, actually, but…you know how persuasive that man can be. He wants what he wants when he wants it."

"Yeah," Kathy scoffed. "He does. I just don't understand what he sees in you," she said, shaking her head.

"Honestly," Olivia sighed, "Neither do I."

Kathy raised her eyes at that remark. "What?" she asked, sounding surprised.

Olivia shrugged. "I don't get it either, Kathy. He has you, this beautiful, blonde, intelligent wife. You're the mother to his amazing children," she said. "Why would he give all of that up for me? I can't offer him…"

Olivia was interrupted by the screeching of tires as the black car pulled up to the curb. Kathy and Olivia watched as Freddie got out and gestured for them to meet him in the street.

"That's the guy?" Olivia asked, looking at Kathy.

Kathy smirked. "Yes," she said, grabbing Olivia's arm and practically pulling her down the steps. "Where's Kisa?" she asked, irritated, looking at Freddie.

Freddie shrugged, and in a thick Russian accent he said, "Kisa is a bit tied up now." He chuckled and grinned. He looked Olivia up and down, licked his lips, and said, "Kisa will approve." He held out his hand.

"Not until I get the money," Kathy said. "Where's the cash?" she asked, holding her own hand out to Freddie.

Freddie moved, taking an envelope out of his pocket. He slapped it into Kathy's hand.

Kathy smirked, laughed, and threw Olivia into Freddie's arms. As she looked into the envelope, Freddie and Olivia reached for their guns and Elliot got out of the car. Kathy began to say something as she looked up, then she froze at the sight before her. "What the fuck? Elliot?" she yelled, horrified, dropping the envelope.

"Don't move," Olivia yelled, stepping forward. "Don't even think about moving, Kathy. Or is it Katarzyna?"

"Mother fucker," Kathy spat, closing her eyes. She laughed then, an evil, sure-sounding laugh. "Wait, wait," she said, shaking her hands in the air. "You…you're Kisa? You set me up knowing I would set you up. That was...pretty damn slick actually."

Olivia nodded once. "It's what I do, Kathy," she said. "We get the bad guy."

Kathy shook her head and pointed to Elliot. "He would never do this to me, Olivia. In two seconds he's gonna turn that gun on you and the two of us are getting out of here. Right, honey?" she asked, looking at Elliot.

Elliot smirked. His blue eyes gleamed as he slowly moved out from behind the car. He had his gun raised, still aimed at Kathy. "Kathy," he began, "You should know by now." He stepped closer to Kathy, dropping his gun. He brushed his hand over her face, though her blonde hair, then down her arm and said, "I will always choose…" He paused, grabbing her hand and yanking her arm behind her. "Liv," he said, finishing his statement. "Kathy Stabler, or is it Katarzyna Molokowski, you are under arrest."

"Elliot, don't do this!" Kathy cried. "I'm your wife! The mother of your children!"

"And because of you, those children were taken away, Kathy!" Elliot yelled.

Kathy wriggled, trying to break free as she felt the cold metal of the cuffs being slapped on her. "Wait! You can't! You can't arrest me, it's against NYPD…"

"I'm with the CIA, Kathy," Elliot said, seething into her ear, whispering harshly. "Guess we both had secrets."

Kathy's eyes widened. She turned her head and looked at Olivia. "This is all your fault, you fucking bitch!"

Olivia, watching Elliot arrest his own wife, watching her best friend's life unravel right before her eyes, sighed and nodded. "Yeah," she said softly, heartbroken. "It is." She lowered her gun, looked away from the scene with a lick of her lips, and shook her head. "I'll meet you back at HQ, Freddie. Make sure he doesn't kill her," she said, walking away.

"Benson!" Freddie yelled. "Come on, where are you going?" he called after her.

Elliot slammed the door after getting Kathy into the car, and he, too, yelled after her, "Liv! Liv!"

All they got was a wave of her hand over her head, telling them to go on without her.

* * *

Olivia walked back into the offices an hour and a half later. She nodded to Freddie who was perched behind his desk. She walked into the screening room and looked at Kline. "It's over," she said, a whispered acknowledgement. "Isn't it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kline nodded. "Yeah, it only took you six years."

Olivia rolled her red, dry eyes. "I couldn't hurt El…"

"I know," Kline interrupted. "Did I say it was a bad thing? You have so much evidence against her, that you've collected through your six-year investigation. Elliot tossed it all in front of her and she told us everything. It was a pretty solid confession, and a surprisingly easy interrogation. Except…"

"What?" Olivia asked. She knew, but she had to ask.

Kline folded his arms. "You came up quite a lot. You really got personal with this one, Benson. Something agents are not supposed to do. That's why…"

"I know that," Olivia said, taking her turn to interrupt. "I didn't plan on it, but I couldn't stop it. If I have to, I'll leave, but it's gonna kill him. He just lost everything and…"

"Benson." Kline said, holding up a hand, "He made it perfectly clear that he could handle things, and he can handle you. Instead of running away he climbed on the train to hell with you. You can't leave him now, he's giving up his life for you. Any agent would be hard pressed to find someone willing to do that for him. Or her."

Olivia tilted her head. "You sound like you're speaking from experience," she said.

"When I joined the agency, I was married," Kline said. "It took me three years to finally tell my wife what I really did for a living. She thought I was a traveling salesman," he said with a laugh. "Anyway, I told her, and she flipped. She said there was no way she could handle being married to someone like that. someone who had to lie for a living. She took our kids and she left. That was twenty-five years ago." He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "You found someone who not only didn't yell and push you away, but someone who loves you enough to dive in with you, work with you. He wants to be here, with you, your partner. That's a rare thing, Benson. Hold onto it if you can."

Olivia sighed and looked back into the offices. She saw Elliot, laughing with Freddie about something. She watched as their secretary handed Elliot his new credentials and an ID badge. She smiled as she saw him shake hands with the other men in the room, starting to fall into place. "That's the thing," she said, turning back ti Kline. "I don't know if I can."

"How long have you been in love with him?" Kline asked.

"You know the answer to that," Olivia said.

Kline looked at her. "You kept that to yourself to protect him. You put your job on the line to protect him. You two have saved each other how many times? And tonight the man arrested, interrogated, and booked his own wife. I think he has made his choice perfectly clear. You've got nothing to worry about." He jerked his head toward the door and said, "Go home, Benson. Tomorrow, you need to clear up that little matter with Munch."

"If you would stop spilling all of the government's secrets to him when you're drunk," Olivia said with a laugh, "I wouldn't have to clear everything up."

Kline laughed and waved her out. She stepped into the bright, open, room filled with desks, and immediately Elliot was at her side. "Where were you?" he asked, his voice low. "I had to talk to her, by myself, Liv, I needed you there and…"

"El, please," Olivia said, stopping him. "I needed time alone, to think, to…"

"Cry," Elliot said. "Baby, you were crying," he whispered. "I can see it in your eyes. What happened?" he asked.

"I really just wanna go home," Olivia said. "We can't talk about this here, anyway." She walked over to her desk, picking something up off of it, and led Elliot out of the doors. They walked through the halls silently, took the elevator ride down to the ground floor with just the sounds of their light breathing filling the space between them. Once they got into the car, however, Elliot spoke.

"What happened?" he asked again.

Olivia sighed. "Watching you do what you did…El, you arrested your wife! She was right. It was my fault, you shouldn't have had to…"

"I did it to prove something to you!" Elliot spat. "Don't you get that? Liv, I made a choice. I made a fucking choice. I chose you, I chose this! Kathy doesn't matter anymore. She hasn't mattered in a really long time, and you…you matter to me more than anything. You and my kids, and my job. That's my life. That is what I want. Stop trying to convince me that it's not!"

"You're a stubborn son of a bitch," Olivia said with a small chuckle.

"Yes, I am," Elliot said, nodding. "I want what I want when I want it. You know that. I want you, and I want you now."

Olivia looked at him, smiled slowly, and shook her head as she laughed. "El," she said, "I want you, too."

"Then we don't have a problem," Elliot said. "I love you, Liv," he said softly, turning down the street toward his place. "I hope that's clear to you now," he added.

Olivia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as the car came to a stop. She waited until Elliot turned the key and looked at her. She held his gaze as, for the first time with absolute certainty and clarity, she said, "I love you, too."

**A/N: Next chapter: Olivia and Munch have a conversation. Elliot talks to his kids. A new SVU case, a surprise in the squadroom, and a new assignment that will bring Olivia and Elliot closer than they ever thought possible. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Olivia and Munch have a conversation. Elliot talks to his kids. A new SVU case, a surprise in the squadroom, and a new assignment that will bring Olivia and Elliot closer than they ever thought possible.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, narrative, dialogue, and plot are owned by TStabler©**

"No, Munch," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "The government is not bugging our phones. The federal agencies have no control over the NYPD."

Munch narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?" he asked. "I have it on good authority that several agencies, like the CIA, are using us as cattle prods, guiding us toward their cases and collars! They're using us to get information. Even sticking their agents in our units, like spies, double-agents. Like, for all I know, you could be one of 'em!"

Olivia folded her arms. "Yes, Munch," she said. "You're right. In fact, I do work for the CIA. I'm a highly trained assassin, I speak seven languages, and I've been planted here to make sure people like you do your jobs and never find out about the government's dirty little secrets."

Munch looked at her, as if considering her explanation. "Okay," he said, "Yeah, I guess that does sound kind of stupid. I should learn not to listen to my brother-in-law when he's drunk."

Olivia shook her head and glanced at Elliot, who was trying not to laugh. "You shouldn't listen to anyone when they're drunk," she said, sitting and chuckling.

"Hey," Munch said, looking back up at her. "Where's Fin?" he asked.

Olivia's eyes widened. "He transferred," she said.

"Again?" Munch asked, folding his arms. "Is it me? Do people not like me?" she asked, feleing sorry for himself.

"Aw, Munch," Elliot said, shaking his head. "It's not that at all. Fin just, uh, wasn't cut out for Special Victims."

Munch sighed. "People just keep leaving me," he said. "Wives, parnters," he snipped. "You guys aren't gonna go anywhere, right?" he asked, resigning himself to work on some paperwork.

"I think it's a pretty safe bet," Olivia said, "That Elliot and I are gonna be here, together, for quite a while, Munch."

"No worries, there, man," Elliot added, catching Olivia's eye and winking.

Cragen came out of his office with a man everyone in the room recognized. "Oh, shit," Olivia said, her eyes widening.

Elliot turned. "Oh, hell no," he mumbled. "Cap, what's he doing here?" he asked, rude and obnoxious, as was his way.

Cragen led Brian Cassidy over to Fin's desk. "Relax," he said, having Cassidy take a seat. "It's only temporary," he said. "Funny," he said, scratching his head, "I don't remember signing transfer forms for Fin. In fact, I don't even remember him giving them to me."

Olivia sipped her coffe and very casually said, "He went over your head." She dropped the styrofoam cup into the trash bin beside her desk and said, "He went straight to Tucker. He, uh, was serious when he said he didn't wanna work with Elliot anymore."

Cragen hummed. "I should go call Ed," he said, moving back toward his office. "Stabler, Cassidy, do not kill each other while I'm gone!" he yelled, closing the door behind him.

The minute their boss was no longer present, Elliot rose to his feet, as did Cassidy, and they were in each other's faces. "You touch her, no, you so much as look at her, and I will rip your fucking head off," Elliot threatened.

Cassidy laughed. "Try it, Stabler!" he yelled. "I will have you on the floor in thirty seconds!"

"Guys!" Olivia yelled, getting in between them. "I am not a steak, you are not pit bulls, stop fighting over me!" She put both of her hands on Elliot's shoulders and pushed him back into his chair, then turned to face Cassidy. "For one thing, nothing is gonna happen with me and you, ever again, so get that thought out of your head right now." She turned to Elliot and pointed a finger at him, looking into his eyes, saying, "And another thing, you do not get to make threats like that. Get it?" She said one thing, but meant another. She narrowed her eyes. She was incredibly turned on by his over-protectiveness, his possession of her, and he could see that. She knew he could see that.

Elliot, seeing a look in her eyes that sent a warm feeling rushing south, making certain parts of his body stand up straight, narrowed his eyes. "Got it," he said with a smirk.

"Good," Olivia said, giving him a slightly seductive smirk of her own.

As he watched her walk back around to her desk, Elliot's cock twitched. Nothing got to him like she did. Nothing and no one. He only hoped he'd get to really show her that, soon.

* * *

"So," Kathleen began, poking at her steak as she sat at the table, "Those were the weirdest three days of my life."

"Where's Mom?" Maureen said, scratching at her leg, nervous.

Elliot looked at his kids and sighed. "She's, uh, she's gone," he said.

"Is she in jail?" Dickie asked, biting into his broccoli.

Elliot choked on his potatoes. Olivia slapped his back and tried to keep from laughing as he calmed down. "Uh, what? Why would you ask that?" he asked.

"Well, whenever you say someone is 'gone', they're dead or in jail," the young boy said. "I doubt we'd be sitting here, having a normal, family dinner if Mom was dead."

"You raised smart kids," Olivia said under her breath.

Elliot cleared his throat after taking a sip of his drink. "Yes," he said, honestly. "Your mother did some pretty bad things, and she has to pay for them."

"You couldn't do anything?" Kathleen asked, stunned. "You're a cop!"

"Katie," Elliot said, rolling his eyes, "I wouldn't have, even if I could have. She was involved in a lot of pretty bad stuff. I don't, uh, I don't really know how I didn't…"

"You were never here," Kathleen said, interrupting. "You didn't know, because you were never around. God, Dad, we were living with a psycho and you let it happen because, what, you were always with her!" she yelled, pointing to Olivia. "No offense, Liv," she said quickly. "I know it's work, but…"

Lizzie interrupted. "Hey, none of us knew!" she exclaimed. "I found out, and I told Daddy, and he did something about it, okay? Mom was hurting…all of us…and Dad stopped it, so could you stop treating him like this is all his fault when he and Liv are the ones that saved us?"

Kathleen stared at her sister for a moment. "Yeah," she said with a sigh. "You're right, I guess." She looked at her father and shrugged with a soft, "Sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay," Elliot said, nodding. "You guys are confused, and you're hurt, and the lst thing you need is me telling you that I was right and she was wrong. There are a lot of factor's involved. A lot of…other people…knew, and they couldn't tell me either. We did what we could, when we could, and we're all okay now, right?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Maureen said, smiling at her father and Olivia.

Olivia, feeling guilty, knowing she was the "other people" to whom Elliot was referring, simply shoved a piece of Broccoli in her mouth and nodded.

Elliot, sensing her reaction, dropped his hand under the table and squeezed her leg, telling her it was okay, that he didn't blame her, that, in a way, he thanked her for what she did.

Dinner was interrupted by the chirping of Olivia's cell phone. She swallowed her food and answered the call. "Benson," she spat. "What? Now? Oh, but we're with his…yeah…right," she sighed. "Okay. We'll be down in…are you serious?" she asked, her eyes widening. "No, sir. Yeah. Right away. Bye." She hung up and looked at Elliot. "We gotta go," she said.

"Figures," Kathleen said, rolling her eyes.

"Katie, honey," Elliot began, but the teen cut her off.

Kathleen smiled and said, "Go save the world, Dad. Be careful, guys."

Maureen stood and said, "I know, lock all the doors and windows, don't answer the phone, don't leave the house. We got it."

Elliot kissed his kids, his kids hugged and kissed Olivia, and they left. "Was that Cragen?" Elliot asked when they were in the car.

"Kline," Olivia said, starting the car. "He just got us a way into a case I've been trying to crack for months."

"What case?" Elliot asked. "What do we have to do?" he questioned, sounding more excited than he should have.

Olivia stepped on the gas. "A reporter for the Times has been delivering secret messages to underground extremist groups, pitting them against each other in some kind of War of The Causes."

"You're talking about Kurt, aren't you?" Elliot asked, smirking. "That's why you went out with him?" he asked, chuckling. "I knew you'd never really be interested in that douchebag!"

Olivia scoffed. "Yes," she hissed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I nailed Kurt, but not before he passed his evil scheme onto someone else. All those crazy events? The pillow fight in Central Park, the fifty-three people riding the subway in their underwear, they were all this reporter's idea, and it was all hidden in his articles. Each activist group read something different, following a different code, performing a different act."

"So…we're going after him because…he's planning to overthrow the president via naked can-can dancing?" Elliot asked, joking.

Olivia smirked. "No, El," she said. "The next article he's planning is going to instruct these groups to blow up their target buildings. We're talking abortion clinics, animal testing labs, chemical plants…"

"So what are we supposed to do?" Elliot interrupted. "Go in and say, 'Excuse me, which one of you is printing secret messages to terrorist groups?" he asked, screwing up his brow in confusion.

Olivia laughed. "El, this guy is the society reporter," she said. "We have to ask him to cover our wedding. We get him to cover a fake wedding, tell him what to write, we get the copy, we figure out what the target is, we nail him and save the world. All in a day's work."

"Wedding?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

Olivia nodded. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?" she asked.

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head and smiling. "Not at all."

**A/N: So they have to have a fake wedding, to get a fake article, with a very real message. But what happens when one of those fake details turns out to be very, very real? Find out, next!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sometimes you can't even trust the people you work with. But they knew that already.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters, sets and concept of Law and Order SVU. TStabler© owns this story.**

The agency was nothing if not organized, and they were rolling out fast with this case. They had a church booked, a dress ordered and fit, other agents assigned to play the roles of bridesmaids and groomsmen, and they'd informed only the necessary people of the operation. They had gone, together, to talk to the reporter and asked him to be "discreet" in his article, as no one would really be accepting of such a taboo pair, and since they'd never met him before, gave him their aliases.

With everything set up, and keeping it hugely under wraps and a secret from Elliot's kids and the squad, they headed to the gothic church on the Upper East Side. They gave each other a quick glance as they headed into separate rooms, dressing, looking the part.

With the church filled with no one but agents, there was nothing to worry about. They would get "married" and the article, which would run with no photo and use their pseudonyms, would give them what they needed. However, as the Wedding March began to play, and Kline walked Olivia down the aisle, her heart pounded in her chest. She saw, not an agent, but Elliot standing at the end of the runner. She couldn't separate her feelings from the job. Not this time. She was getting married, and she was starting to panic.

"None of this is real, Benson," Kline whispered to her through a wide, toothy grin. "Relax and look like you're happy about this."

Olivia took a breath, calming down, and met Elliot's eyes.

Elliot was having problems of his own. He couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked, how incredible it felt to see her walking toward him in a wedding dress, and how, for a split second, he wished this wasn't just pretend. He knew, though, that neither one of them wanted or was ready for that right now. Kline slipped Olivia's hand into his, and he squeezed it, looking into her eyes.

"Hey," she whispered to him, smiling.

"You look beautiful," he told her, smiling back.

The "priest" did his thing, sounding like he'd done this before. They exchanged vows, they exchanged rings, they even kissed, long and slow. Anyone who didn't know better would be convinced this was a real wedding. Elliot winked at her as he and his new "bride" walked back down the aisle, being showered with rose petals and rice. They held hands and kissed again as they walked out, and the reporter, smiling at them, handed a notebook to Kline as they passed.

Elliot grinned at Olivia, pulling her toward him for one more kiss before the limo out front took them to a secluded location. CIA headquarters. He smirked and whispered two little words into her ear.

"Mission accomplished."

* * *

Olivia, in a suit, not a dress, for which she was very grateful, walked into Kline's office and sat down. "You wanted to see me?" she asked. She saw Elliot, who looked like he'd just swallowed a bucket of worms, in the chair next to her.

Kline nodded and handed her the copy of the reporter's proposed article he had received an hour ago. "We sent this to CompLink. They cracked the codes, there are two targets. The abortion clinic on Twenty-Fifth," he said. "And the chemical testing center on Sixty-Second. We've heightened security, we're watching them. We'll see what we're up against when this gets printed tomorrow."

"That's great," Olivia said, "Why aren't we mobilizing, or..."

"Because," Kline said, "That's not why I called you in here." He ran a hand down his face and cleared his throat. "Langan was in charge of the paper trail," he said. "Ya know, making this look legit, getting a license, and making sure the church handed us a certificate when we left."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so the fucker didn't do his job. We pulled it off any..."

"He did his job," Elliot interjected, scoffing.

Olivia looked at him. She paled slightly. "What's the problem, then?" she asked.

Kline sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just gonna say it. Langan used your real names when applying for the marriage license."

Olivia felt physically sick. She was shaking slightly now, but the rational part of her brain was still working. She shook her head and said, "That doesn't mean anything, since the priest was an..."

"Father Michael O'Reilly," Kline interrupted. "A real priest. Seems Langan told Agent Hanrahan that his services were no longer needed, and he never showed up. That was a real priest, Olivia. Thanks to Trevor Langan, who will be getting the worst kind of lecture from me, you and Elliot..."

"Are married," Olivia said, flatly. She looked at Elliot, and whether it was due to shock, embarrassment, or fear, she said, "We need to fix this. Now!"

Elliot looked back at her. "I just got divorced," he snapped, "You want me to go through another one? With you?"

"Yes!" Olivia yelled. "I do! We can't be married!"

Elliot laughed bitterly and shook his head. "We can't get divorced, either, because then people are gonna know we got married in the first place! Every judge in this city knows us, Liv! Every attorney, too, for that matter. It would spread like wildfire! How the fuck would we explain this shit?"

"I can_not _be married to you!" Olivia yelled, getting out of her chair. She pulled the door open and walked out of the office, trying hard to remember how to breathe as she ran into an unused interrogation room.

Elliot followed her, slamming the door behind him, and yelled, "Oh, like this is gonna be a picnic for me? I had a hard enough time getting you to admit you had any real feelings for me in the first place! You're so fucking terrified of commitment! Being married to you is gonna be a nightmare!"

"Oh, so now I'm a nightmare?" Olivia snapped, turning to him.

Elliot's eyes narrowed and something inside of him snapped. "Well, being stuck with you like this really isn't my idea of a dream come true," he hissed.

Olivia didn't even know she was moving, but she felt it when she punched him. "Mine either," she said through gritted teeth as she rubbed her knuckles.

"What the fuck was that for?" Elliot asked, shocked, rubbing the side of his face.

"Marrying me!" Olivia yelled.

"I didn't have a choice!" Elliot yelled back, giving her a shove in retaliation for his reddening cheek. "Why the fuck did you hit me?" he snapped.

"Why are we yelling?" Olivia screamed, throwing her hands up.

Elliot looked her, then took a step forward and slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her madly. He moaned lightly as he pawed at her, prying her mouth open.

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, kissing him harder. She moaned, rubbed up against him, then suddenly pushed him away when the thought that, somehow, they were _married_ hit her again. "Damn it, Elliot, don't change the subject!" she snapped, trying to catch her breath. "We're fighting here," she said.

Elliot took a deep breath. "You started it," he said with a defeated shrug. "You didn't have to hit me," he said, sounding like a child.

Olivia took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right," she said. "I'm sorry. Defense mechanism. How the fuck do we get out of this?" she asked, sounding helpless.

"I...I don't think we do," Elliot said. "If we try to do anything, people are gonna find out, and we're gonna get shit from Cragen and our lives are gonna be over. Really over. We're trying not to let anyone know that we're together in the first place, so we should probably keep this a big ass secret. I know you..._we_ don't want to be married right now, but...if we make any decisions about getting..." he stopped. He looked at her and he softened, brushing her hair back. "There's no way out," he said.

"So what do we do?" Olivia asked. She looked up at him and her heart broke. She did love him, very much, but marriage was not the obvious next step in their relationship. They had yet to have an actual date that wasn't going to be part of some covert affair, now that they weren't hiding anything from his wife. Now, she _was_ his wife.

Elliot bit his lip and hummed. "Nothing changes," he finally decided. "We go on, doing what we've been doing, just...being with each other. Being us. We let things happen. Eventually, we're gonna wanna get married, so...it'll just be..."

"You think that's gonna be that easy?" Olivia asked, folding her arms.

"Liv," Elliot said. "It's just a piece of paper. No one we knew was even there, except Trevor, and he planned this whole thing to get back at us. Baby, he's already in trouble. No one knows, no one needs to find out, we can get through this. We can hide this."

Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head. "What if it doesn't work between us?" she asked softly, not wanting to voice that thought.

Elliot lifted her chin and smiled. "This just means we have to make it work, doesn't it?" he asked with a smile. "It's more of a reason for us not to fuck this up, personally or professionally. You know I love you," he whispered. "And...to be honest...I don't really think this is such a bad thing. Or, at least, it won't be. Eventually. Ya know?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. "I love you, too," she said, letting him kiss her, kissing him back, thankful the room was empty.

Elliot's cell phone rang, as did Olivia's, breaking their kiss and their concentration. "It's Cragen," Elliot said, looking at the blinking caller ID.

"Cassidy," Olivia said as she looked at her own phone, rolling her eyes.

They answered together and had individual conversations. They hung up and looked at each other, knowing it was time to put this all aside and bring "Benson and Stabler" back.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Elliot asked.

"I'm gonna have to be," Olivia said with a shrug. "But how do we act like nothing happened? How do we act like we didn't just find out our lives are pretty much fucked?"

Elliot chuckled. "We just forget about it," he said with a slight grin. "It didn't happen, like I said. We go work this case, then I will take you home, make sweet love to you, and you will sneak out before my kids wake up like you always do. We don't have to deal with this until we're ready to." He held up his phone and said, "We have to go before this rings again." He kissed her lips, then her forehead, and walked away from her.

Olivia sighed. Elliot was avoiding it, and she was petrified of it. Neither one of them was ready to face what this meant, but they would find out, all too soon, they had no choice. They would be forced to face it, and forced to make a choice. Their new life, or death.

**A/N: That sounds ominous, doesn't it? How will they ignore the fact that, like it or not, they're married? Will they ignore it at all? Who finds out and makes them choose? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: You can avoid it all you want, but it's still going to be there.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters, sets and concept of Law and Order SVU. TStabler© owns this story.**

Working the case was a welcome distraction, Olivia thought, choosing to concentrate on the poor, unfortunate soul who was tortured beyond human comprehension rather than acknowledge her own marital status.

It was noticeable to everyone, though, that she was avoiding Elliot. She would bypass him with evidence, choosing to talk to Melinda or a lab technician without even telling him what was going on. It was nothing against him, really, she just couldn't risk kissing him or yelling at him, both of which were very possible now, in front of a crowd like this.

Elliot ran a hand down his face, choosing to just walk away. If she was going to ignore him, he might as well not be there. He walked over to Cassidy and folded his arms. "Her names Sasha Rignelli," he said, giving the vic's name.

"Is Benson seeing anyone?" Cassidy asked, ignoring the disclosure.

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "We are not talking about that at a crime scene, man! Can we focus here?"

Cassidy smirked, his head tilted, and his eyes darkened. "I am focused," he said.

Elliot turned his head to see what Cassidy was looking at, he felt every blood vessel in his body burst, and he gritted his teeth together. "Cassidy, she's got a boyfriend, now stop staring at her as and do your fucking job."

Cassidy chuckled and looked back at Elliot. "It won't last," he said. "It never does. I give it week, and then," he clapped his hands together, "I move in like hawk diving for a mouse."

"I'm pretty sure this time it's permanent," Elliot said. "This guy, he's serious about her. Gave her a ring. Can we talk about finding our vic's family now?"

"A ring?" Cassidy spat. "Woah, Benson's taking the jump?" he asked. "Shit, I gotta move fast."

"Cassidy!" Elliot yelled. "Forget about Olivia and go find this girl's mother! Man, you are..." he grunted in frustration and shove a chuckling Cassidy toward his car. "Go!" he shouted.

Olivia took a deep breath and walked up to him, standing a respectable foot away from him. "What was that all about?" she asked, wrapping red tape around an evidence bag.

"Bastard," Elliot said. "He wants you, he's convinced he has a chance, it took everything I had not to tell him, Liv."

Olivia sighed, folding the bagged wallet in her hands. "I know," she said.

"No, you don't know," Elliot said, turning to her. He began walking toward the car, knowing she'd follow. "You've been ignoring me for the past hour, you can't even look at me. I may have just lied to him, actually." He stopped, looked at her, narrowed his eyes, and said, "I can call a few lawyers in Jersey if you want."

Olivia shook her head and took another step toward him. "El, listen to me I..."

Elliot interrupted her. "No, Liv, if you really wanna...not be with me anymore, then..."

Olivia cut him off in return. "The reason I can't look at you right now is because it hurts," Olivia said softly.

"Hurts?" Elliot asked. "So now I'm physically hurting you?" he scoffed. "Great!"

"Elliot!" Olivia hissed. "We got married, and I didn't even know. A moment that I used to dream of, wonder about, for years was ripped away from me yesterday! I had plans! I had..." she paused and got a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Your kids were supposed to wear blue, light blue. I had a dress picked out. I found it in some vintage store in SoHo. It was supposed to be summer, on the beach, under this gorgeous white arch that had these huge seashells and white and blue ribbons all over it. Don't you get it?" she asked, shaking her head. "You were supposed to ask, on one knee, on a day that meant something stupid to us, like the day we solved our first case."

"November ninth," Elliot whispered.

"Or the first time we made it the whole day without fighting," Olivia continued.

Elliot chuckled. "December Third," he said.

"You were supposed to scare the shit out of me, and calm me down, convince me that we'd make it because you loved me too much to let me go," Olivia said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "It was supposed to take a year to plan the wedding because I am the most indecisive person on the planet, and everyone we love was supposed to be there so they could say, 'I told you so." She sniffled.

"Liv, baby, come on," Elliot said, trying to console her.

Olivia shook her head and snapped at him, trying not to cry, though she already was. "It wasn't supposed to be eighty people whose first names I don't even know," she hissed. "And it wasn't supposed to happen two days after you arrest your own wife and get an expedited divorce due to her criminal activity, Elliot! It wasn't supposed to happen without either of us even knowing! And it sure as fuck wasn't supposed to happen because Trevor Langan was just fucking with us!"

"Calm down," Elliot said, putting his hands on her arms. "Why didn't you tell me that's why you were so angry?" he asked, his eyes softening as he looked into hers. He swiped a thumb under her eye and said, "I thought you just didn't want...I was heartbroken, Liv. I thought you didn't want me."

Olivia looked up at him and whispered, "I will always want you."

Elliot looked around, bit his lip, then opened the door. "Get in," he said. He watched her get into the car, walked around to the other side, got in himself, and pulled her over to him for a long, deep kiss. "We're gonna be okay," he said. "We just need to figure out...how to make this work," he shrugged.

"Is that even possible?" Olivia asked, scoffing.

Elliot kissed her again. "I'll call the kids, tell them you're staying with us for a couple of days. So we can talk about this. Decide some things." He looked at her and smiled. "We'll take it slow, baby," he said. "And eventually, when we're ready, I will ask you, on one knee, on a day that means something stupid to us. You'll say yes, it'll take a year to plan a summer, beach wedding, and everyone we love will be there. I promise."

* * *

"Did anyone talk to the Rignellis?" Cragen asked, sticking photos of the crime scene to the board.

Cassidy raised his hand. "They said they haven't talked to Sasha in three years. It didn't seem to bother them. Her father said he was relieved, now at least he knew where she was."

"That's horrible," Olivia said, folding her arms as she leaned on Elliot's desk.

"That's life in New York," Munch said.

Elliot shook his head. "No, no, man. You have kids, you do anything to keep them safe. And when you can't..." he stopped, his words catching in his throat. He shook his head. "It's the worst feeling in the world when you let someone else hurt your kids," he said, running his hand over his face.

Olivia turned to him, catching his eyes. "Hey," she whispered. "Don't," she said, shaking her head. "That was not your fault."

"I should have known," Elliot said, moving over to the board. "Okay," he said, shaking it off. "We have to think about where she would have gone. Who her friends were, where she could have been hiding out."

Cragen nodded. "Stabler, Benson, try the local clubs and bars. Munch, Cassidy, canvass shelters and hostels in the area. She had to spend her nights somewhere."

They all nodded and headed out, Elliot resting his hand on Olivia's back as he led her through the door. Cragen saw this and he smirked. "Trapped like rats," he said as he watched them go. "Weren't gonna make a fucking move yourselves," he mumbled shaking his head. He walked into his office, picked up the phone, and set phase two of his plan into motion.

**A/N: What's Cragen got to do with it? What trap? And where are they when they have to make the ultimate choice? Next chap is LOADED with suspense! (and a lil' fluff/lovin') Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: What's Cragen got to do with it? What trap? And where are they when they have to make the ultimate choice?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters, sets and concept of Law and Order SVU. TStabler© owns this story.**

"I don't think she could have had anything to do with this place," Olivia said, stepping through the doors of en empty bar. The only light, a blue-bulb on a string above the bar, flickered in the darkness. "El, no one is here. Let's just go to the next one."

"When have you ever left a stone unturned, huh?" Elliot asked. "Besides, place like this? Perfect place to hide a girl without anyone noticing."

Olivia stepped over a brown, sticky patch on the floor and made an odd noise. "I guess," she mumbled. "What'd your kids say?"

Elliot looked around the bar, noticing the broken chairs, lopsided tables, and thin film of dust on every surface. "They're thrilled," he said. "They can't wait to have you over, but, uh, of course...they don't know...about us. They just really want you there."

"How sweet," a low, smooth voice from behind them said.

The door slammed shut and they both turned, eyes wide and guns trained on the man before them. "Holy shit," Elliot spat, almost lowering his gun.

The man chuckled. "Guess you're surprised to see me," he said. He flicked the lock and flipped over the sign. "But I'm not surprised to see you. Not at all. In fact, someone told me you were coming, same man who told me to be here."

"Who?" Olivia asked, her gun still poised, her hands still and her body unwavering in its stance. She had no qualms about shooting the man in front of her.

The man chuckled again. "Put the guns down," he demanded. "You're not gonna shoot me."

Olivia scoffed. "You don't know..." she stopped, hearing the cocking of a trigger behind her.

The man laughed. "Dust on the floor makes it really easy to take soft steps. I suggest you follow the men behind you to the basement." He noticed the look in Olivia's eyes and said, "I'm not gonna hurt you. Either of you. We're just gonna have a little chat." They all started walking, and as they moved into the back room he said, "If I don't like what you tell me, then, maybe, I'll hurt you."

* * *

"Anyone hear from Benson or Stabler yet?" Munch asked, looking up at Cragen.

The captain nodded. "They're talking to the owner of the bar where Rignelli was last seen," he said, smirking to himself. "They'll be a while. What did you two get from the hostels?" he asked, folding his arms.

Cassidy looked up and said, "She was staying with a group of traveling students in a house on Thirty-Sixth Street. Twenty bucks a night, she'd been there for three months. The woman who runs the place said she doesn't know where she came from, and no mail ever came for her. She was a, and I quote, 'good tenant, but a bad girl."

Cragen nodded. "Well, someone must have bee providing the money. She just didn't get twenty bucks a night from..." he stopped. His eyes went to the photos on the board and his face contorted in thought, and then in realization. "Aw, hell," he spat. "We just stepped in someone else's pile of shit." He walked over to the board and ripped the photo of the victim off of the board. He took large, hard steps, into his office, and picked up the phone, dialing quickly. "Kline," he shouted. "Cragen. Yeah. I gotta problem. No, not with her. She's fine, they're both fine. No, I think my current vic is another one of your agents."

* * *

Olivia and Elliot had been forced to sit across from each other at a broken table in the basement. It was quiet, except for the occasional footsteps of the man in charge, and the clicking of guns behind them. Finally, breaking the silence, they heard the man clear his throat.

"Tell me, Olivia," the man holding them hostage began, walking around the table, "Why is it that you run?"

"Clears my head, it's great cardio, and have you seen my ass?" Olivia quipped.

The man scoffed, as Elliot chuckled at her response. "I meant," their captor said, "Why do you run when your relationships get serious. You ran from Kurt, you ran from Dean, you ran from Trevor. You were running from Elliot."

Olivia's head snapped toward him. "I was only running from Elliot because he was married, and he's my partner. Things could have gone really bad for him. For us. It never should have started in the first place!"

"I need an honest answer this time," the man demanded.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "This is...you know you didn't have to hold us gunpoint to get us to do this," she mumbled.

"I've got a gun to your head and you're still not answering me," the man said. "What are you so afraid of, Olivia? Look into his eyes, tell him why you keep running, let it go."

Elliot furrowed his brow as he turned to look at Olivia. "Liv?" he questioned softly, reaching for her hand.

Olivia, though, pulled her hand away and had to struggle to meet his eyes. "I used to run because it didn't feel right. You're just supposed to know. You're supposed to feel something, some incredible spark, your whole world is supposed to change, get better when the one you're meant to be with is around. I ran from Kurt, and Dean, and Trevor because I felt nothing. They weren't it." She blinked, looked at Elliot with passion in her eyes, and said, "But you...with you, I feel everything. I feel everything way too strongly, and that scares me more than feeling nothing. If I run..." she paused, taking a breath and blinking. "You're the only man, person, actually, that's ever had the ability to hurt me. I gave you that, and I..."

"I will never hurt you," Elliot said, interrupting her. His eyes were dark and warm, serious. His voice was low. He meant it.

"Let her finish, Elliot," the man said.

Olivia shook her head. "I was done," she said.

Elliot looked into her eyes and said, "You thought I'd leave? Hurt you? How could you..."

"I kept a lot of things from you, El. I thought you might have been...I was just used to people leaving, and you are the most important thing, the only person that matters to me. I couldn't take it if you did hurt me, so I was trying to stop it before it started. I was scared El. But...I guess I can't really run now," she said with a laugh.

"No, you can't," Elliot said, laughing. "I love you," he whispered to her.

"That's why this all happened, you know," the man said, holding up a hand. "Trevor wasn't acting alone. Someone else, someone close to you, forced you into this to show you that you, Olivia, need to stop running and face what you have with him, know he will not be like every other person in your life. He won't leave, he won't hurt you. And you, Elliot, had to make her that promise before she had the time to run, because she was going to run. You knew she was. Why do you think she never stayed the night, no matter how often you asked?"

Elliot scoffed. "My kids...I was still married and Kathy could have come home...it just wasn't..."

"She didn't want witnesses," the man said with a smirk and a shrug. "She wasn't ready for anyone to know she was with you, so when she left no one would blame her for hurting you. Isn't that right?" he asked, turning to Olivia.

Olivia glared at him. "What do you want, George?" she asked, her patience wearing thin. "Why are we here?"

George Huang smirked. "I'm under direct orders. You two don't leave until you deal with this, and decide to live with it. You leave only when there's no secrets left between you, and you're ready to start actually being together, happy, so you can stop annoying the rest of us," he explained with a roll of his eyes. "And, someone has plans for you. Big plans. So start talking."

Olivia smirked and said, "I'm pretty sure all of my secrets are out."

George chuckled. "I wasn't talking about you," he said. He turned slowly to Elliot, who paled slightly and ran a hand down his face.

"I hate you, George," Elliot said, turning away from him and scooting his chair back. A man behind him raised his gun, and Elliot cleared his throat. He pushed his chair back in and rested his elbows on the table. "Yeah," he said. "I really hate you."

"Hey," George said, a sweet smile on his face, "If you're gonna hate anyone, hate Cragen. He's the one who set this up."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other, their eyes wide. "What?" Olivia yelled, hurt and angry, but not surprised.

Elliot shook his head and sighed. "We'll deal with Cragen later. If I tell her, we get out of here. That's the deal, right?"

"Well, she has to be okay with what you tell her, and you can't leave until you agree to stay together, fully committed to this relationship," George explained. "My friend Rodney over there will shoot you if he has to," he added.

Elliot closed his eyes and exhaled again, he reached for Olivia's hand and this time she let him take it. He smiled at her, she smiled back. He ran his thumb over the side of her hand, caressing softly, and he said, "Dean didn't leave because he had a new assignment."

Olivia furrowed her brow, then she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes evilly. And then she widened them in realization, then a slow smile grew and she began to laugh. "You...you didn't," she said as she chuckled.

Elliot bit his lip. "Liv, stop laughing," he said.

Olivia wiped her eyes, she was laughing so hard she cried, and she shook her head. "You ran him off? What did you do? Tell him the truth? You told him we were..."

"He's in jail," Elliot said. "I got a call, about a year ago. You were with me, actually, and, uh, Cragen told me not to tell you. He told me not to tell you anything about it."

Olivia's eyes fell and her smile faded. "What did he do, El?" she asked, clutching his hand, not pulling away from him, something Huang noticed and smiled at.

"Raped and killed a woman," Elliot told her. "She lived in your building. He was drunk, so...he...he was on the wrong floor and..."

"It was supposed to be me," Olivia said, her eyes widening. "Oh, my God. You didn't tell me because..."

Elliot nodded and interrupted her. "I didn't want you to get..." he stopped talking when she threw her arms around him and squeezed. "Hey," he whispered, holding her. "He would have never hurt you, baby, I was there. I was with you."

Olivia, still holding him, said, "I remember. You got the phone call and you told me to stay in my apartment, you were taking it with Fin. I was too exhausted to argue or ask questions."

"Yeah," Elliot said. "So that's it," he said. "Now you know."

Olivia pulled away from him, looked into his eyes for a moment, then turned to Huang. "I'd like to go home...with my husband now," she said, ignoring the slight nausea the rose in her stomach when she said it.

George chuckled. "I don't think so," he said. He moved to the door, signaled to the three armed men to leave, and said, "You never got a honeymoon. I'll give you a few hours." He walked through the door, closing and locking it behind him.

"I don't trust him," Elliot said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Olivia.

Olivia looked at him, meeting his bright, blue eyes. "You're learning," she said with a smirk. She gave him a long, slow kiss, then pulled away and said, "Get on the table."

"Yes, ma'am," Elliot said with a sly grin, moving to lie down.

Olivia smacked him in the arm and chuckled. "No, ass, stand on it, then give me a boost," she said. She pointed and said, "The first time we sleep together as..." she paused, still finding it hard to say, "Husband and wife, it is not going to be on a broken, gross, table in the basement of an abandoned bar because some psycho psychiatrist told us to. We're getting out of here."

Elliot stood on the table, lifted Olivia into his arms, and hoisted her up toward the air vent in the ceiling. "I really wish you would have worn a skirt," he joked.

"If we get out of here alive, baby," she said, sliding the vent cover open, "I will wear a skirt for you tomorrow."

Elliot pushed her up, then waited for her to turn and reach down to pull him up. He knew they'd make it, and he knew that when they got home, he would have a lot of explaining to do to his children. He looked at Olivia, as they began crawling through the dark, damp vent, and he knew that she was worth any consequences. "I really do love you," he whispered, pulling her back to him for a moment.

Olivia looked at him, kissed him softly, and said, "I love you, too, El." She slid further forward, then turned to him again. She cupped his face and slowly moved in, kissing him deeply, the thought pecking at the back of her mind that this might be their last kiss. As he wrapped his arms around her and moaned softly, she vowed that it most definitely would not be.

**A/N: Do they make it out? Does someone catch them? What to they say/do to Cragen? And what do they say when they find out Cragen knows about Kline and Olivia's second job? Are they in over their heads? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sometimes, even the best kept secrets are spilled. Along with a little blood.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia dropped from the vent to the floor, her heels clicking as she landed on her feet. She moved to the side, looking around, and Elliot dropped next to her, not as gracefully.

Elliot grabbed his gun, just to be ready, and asked, "What now, Ninety-Nine?"

"Really? A _Get Smart_ reference?" Olivia questioned, rolling her eyes. "We get out of here, Max," she said, returning his homage to classic TV.

Their lighthearted moment was interrupted when they heard shouting. "Gone?" George's voice rang through the building. "What do you mean, they're gone?"

"Run," Elliot ordered, not having to look to know that Olivia was right by his side, keeping up.

They were halfway to the front door when they heard the cocking of triggers behind them, and Olivia spun around quickly, stepping in front of Elliot and firing fast.

The two men in front of them fell to the floor, unmoving, and Elliot's eyes widened. He didn't even see her aim, or blink. She scared him a little, but made him proud. "Nice," he said.

"I've been told," Olivia said. "You wanna get the door?" she asked, keeping her eyes and her gun on the doorway, knowing Huang could walk through any minute.

Elliot pulled the door open just as a shot was fired from the other end of the bar. "Yeah, we gotta go!" he yelled, pulling her out of the grimy establishment. He ran, still holding her hand, down the block and pulled her into an alley, just in case they were being followed. He held Olivia close to him, hiding them in the shadows, keeping quiet as he tried to regulate his breathing.

Olivia closed her eyes, listening to his heart pound as he held her against his chest. She, too, was breathing heavily, but she wasn't as on edge as he was. She was used to this.

Elliot pulled her closer as he tried to flatten them up against the wall when they heard footsteps running passed the alley. When the noises faded, he exhaled, but his grip on her didn't loosen. "Cragen," he whispered.

Olivia nodded into his chest, sighing, "Yeah." She gripped his arms and looked up into his eyes. "Welcome to my world, El," she said with a harrowed expression.

Elliot chuckled. "Fuck, Liv," he said. "It's an adrenaline rush. I could get used to this." he smoothed his hands down her body and cupped her ass, giving her a squeeze. "Who knew running for your life could be such an aphrodisiac?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

She quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked. "I married the right guy," she said.

"You did," Elliot said with a nod. He gave her bottom another squeeze and was about to kiss her, when their phones rang at the same time. They looked at each other, a dejected sigh coming out of both of them, and they answered their phones.

"Benson." "Stabler."

They looked at each other again, this time their eyes wide, and they took off running again. "When?" Olivia yelled into her phone. She listened and stopped in her tracks, looking at street signs.

"Liv!" Elliot called, running across the street, "This way's faster!"

Olivia followed him and hung up her phone, looking over her shoulder as they ran. She reached for Elliot, grabbing him, pulling herself to him.

Elliot turned, pulling her, finally slowing now that they were sure no one was after them. "You all right?" he asked.

"Of course," she said, nodding. "This is what I do." She linked her fingers through his and took a deep breath, giving herself permission to enjoy the walk back to the station, looking over her shoulder.

* * *

Elliot headed up the precinct stairs, dropping Olivia's hand, leading her through the doors. They seemed to melt back into slow professionalism, glancing at each other and smirking, sharing their secret. He held the elevator for her, she slid in beside him, and the doors closed, finally allowing them to breathe.

Elliot was about to take the private moment to give her a kiss, but thought better of it, as the camera in the elevator was in perfect working order for the first time in years. He settled for a quick, mumbled, "I love you."

Olivia, knowing she had to, brought her hand up to her mouth, as if concealing a cough. "I love you, too," she said, not looking at him, giving the appearance to anyone watching the tape of two normal detectives taking the ride to their floor.

Normal. As if they hadn't just run for their lives, away from someone who was supposed to be a friend. As if they hadn't just been given a couple of phone calls letting them know their worlds were colliding. The elevator binged and the doors slid opened, and they stepped out, cool and calm.

Olivia walked in first, making deliberate eye-contact with a very shocked Cragen. "Hey, Cap," she said cheerfully. "The bar was a bust," she said. "Didn't get anything you wanted. I mean, that we wanted."

Cragen cleared his throat and shook his head. "Yeah," he said, "Seems the girl was somewhere else when she was last seen. And this man, claiming to have legal business with her, took her away." He handed her a photo and looked nervously at Elliot.

Elliot nodded curtly, from him it was a warning, and sat in his chair. He wondered, as he sat, since Cragen knew he was with Olivia, how much of their relationship did they have to hide? Could he kiss her in the squad room? Could he hold her hand in the halls? Could he fuck her senseless in the cribs? He smirked and chuckled at his own thoughts, then realized someone had been talking to him. "Sorry," he said, "What?"

Munch looked down at him and repeated, "I said, we're getting company. Feds. Apparently, the vic worked with the CIA, retaining and gathering information from the streetwalking teenagers. Still think my conspiracies are dumb?"

"Yes," Elliot said with a nod. He glanced at Olivia, who was biting her lip, staring at the photo. "Hear that, Liv? We got ourselves a federal case."

Olivia nodded, dropping the photo of their suspect on his desk. "I heard," she said.

Elliot's eyes popped out of his head. He picked up the picture and shook his head. "No, no, this…this isn't possible." He stood up and looked at Cragen, yelling now. "You told me he would never…"

"It happened," Cragen said. "I don't know how, but it did. And it's not your case anymore. I'm sorry."

"Sorry my ass," Elliot hissed. "You probably got him out," he spat.

Cragen was hurt, taken aback, deeply wounded. He had gone through a lot of trouble to make them happy. He folded his arms and asked, "How could you think…"

"That thing with Huang!" Elliot yelled, not thinking, not caring. "What the hell was that?"

"Just a few simple questions, Elliot," Cragen shrugged, not understanding why he was so upset.

Elliot took a few steps toward his captain. "So what, the guns were just for motivation?" he asked, his voice low.

Cragen shook his head and furrowed his brow. "What?" he asked.

Elliot ran a hand down his face and jutted his chin toward the interrogation room. Cragen led him inside, and he closed the door. Elliot turned and said, "What the hell do you want from us? We would have talked to him, you didn't have to have armed guards and…"

"Hold on, Elliot," Cragen said, holding up a hand. "You were just supposed to talk to him. Have a few drinks and talk. Guns? What?"

"Don, he locked us in the goddamned basement!" Elliot yelled. "We got out, but then they shot at us, and Liv killed…" he paused, hearing a knock on the window.

Olivia walked into the room, then, throwing a file down on the table. "Huang works for the FBI," she said.

"Yeah," Elliot said, lifting up the file.

"So did Dean," Olivia said, folding her arms. "He was with the Special Affairs Division, El. Ya know, the people who have to do the really dark, corrupt, fucked up shit? He found out about me, and for the last month of our relationship, I was an assignment."

Elliot flipped through the file, his eyes widening. "He got drunk that night because he was upset that he had to hurt you," he surmised. "It was his job," he said, the pieces fitting together. "He…he's still on the payroll, isn't he? The government got him out, is that what you're trying to say?"

"His job's not finished," Olivia said as she shrugged. "So maybe they did."

Elliot slid the file over to Cragen, and then asked, "What does this have to do with Huang holding us hostage tonight?"

"Dean was supposed to shut me up, El," Olivia said. "Make me suffer and then take me out. But since he got the wrong girl and got locked up, the only other FBI agent close enough to me to earn my trust…"

"Was Huang," Cragen finished. "I let you walk right into his trap. He said you would need to clear some things up if you wanted to…I was…I would never do anything to hurt the two of you. I finally pushed you together, why would I want to rip you apart?"

Elliot looked at his Captain, seeing sincerity in his eyes. "Cap, Liv and I don't really trust anyone anymore," he said.

"I'll find out how he got out," Cragen said. "Until he's caught, you two can't…"

"It's our case," Olivia interrupted.

Cragen shook his head. "No, I told you it wasn't. Munch and Cassidy are…"

"No, Cap," Olivia said, sighing. "Not our case," she said gesturing to the three of them. "Just ours." She nodded once to Elliot. "This fell into the hands of the CIA the minute Kline found out Rignelli was dead. Dean is a fugitive and he has information and intelligence that could cause the NYPD a lot of problems. Not to mention he's being paid to get me out of the way so the FBI can get one of their own in here. I'm going after him, he's coming after me."

Elliot scoffed. "So we just have to wait and see who gets killed first," he said with an aggravated, pissed off, shrug.

Olivia nodded, not seeing the sarcasm or the fear in his face, and she smirked. "I have something he doesn't have, though."

"What?" Elliot asked.

Olivia looked at Elliot, leaned over him with her hands resting on his knees, and said, "An amazing partner, whom I trust with my life."

She would find out, very soon, that her trust was in the right place.

Someone else, though, would do his best to convince her it wasn't.

And he would almost succeed.

Almost.

**A/N: Who? What does he do or say to Olivia that almost loses her trust in Elliot's? And we finally get the night with the kids, and some love ;) Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Who? What does he do or say to Olivia that almost loses her trust in Elliot's? And we finally get some love ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters. TStabler© owns this story.**

The meeting with Kline had not gone as well as she'd hoped, and the conversation he had with her, privately, did very little to calm her nerves. It only made her realize that this one going to be difficult, and she had to watch her back, and trust Elliot to watch his own for a while.

She ran a hand down her face as the whole horrible conversation replayed in her mind. She had relayed it all to Elliot in the car, and he hadn't said anything to her since. She was standing in the kitchen, lost in her memory.

"_Are you sure you can trust him?" Kline had asked, implying that she could not._

"_Of course I am, Kline! You think he's got something to do with this?" She accused, bitter and angry, and also partially believing._

_Kline had smirked at her._ "_It seems odd, doesn't it? He was with you, all these years, and he didn't know his own wife was one of the most notorious felons we've been after? He didn't know you were working two jobs? He didn't think sleeping with you was gonna take the suspicion away from him?"_

_ Olivia narrowed her eyes. She didn't want to believe him, she couldn't believe him, but this was her boss, the guy in charge, he had been watching Elliot almost as long as Olivia had been watching Kathy._ "_You're serious? You think he knew the whole time, and he was only trying to get me…"_

_ "Well, that and…who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to fuck you?" Kline hissed. "You sure he wasn't, and isn't, just using you, Benson?"_

_ She turned and walked away, holding back the urge to punch him, letting his words plant seeds of doubt in her mind. But then she looked back at him. "He's the only person I can trust," she spat. "I know him, and I know he would never do any of that. He had no idea about Kathy, or Fin, or me. Not until I told him, which I only did because…I trust him. If you honestly think I would put my faith in someone like that, if you think that I wouldn't be able to see if he is capable of being so vindictive and cruel, then you don't really know me at all, and you clearly have your head up your ass."_

_ Kline grinned. "Then you're gonna be okay," he said. "See, that's what you needed to do, Olivia. You needed to doubt, to fear, and to realize that everything I just said was a crock of shit. Porter's gonna pull the same crap, and you need to brush it off. You need to hold onto the truth, to that trust, because if you let that go, then you let Porter win, and he'll get you."_

Olivia jumped, hearing the crash behind her, and her flashback faded. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at Elliot as he bent to pick up the pieces of a now-broken bowl.

"Yeah," he said. "It just…it just flew off the counter. Weird."

"Uh-huh," Olivia said, folding her arms, not believing him. "You threw it. Why?"

Elliot sighed and shook his head. "Moment of incredible rage," he shrugged. "I took it out on the fruit bowl."

"Are you mad at me?" she asked. "That it? You didn't wanna hit me, so you smacked the bowl? It's like my mirror all over again."

Elliot shook his head. "I'm not mad at you, I just…I can't believe you almost believed him," he said. "How many times do I have to tell you…"

"El," Olivia interrupted, "I know. I have trust issues. Not with you, though, so when someone like him says something…look, I'm not used to this, okay? I've never been the one that gets loved for an honest reason, by an amazing person. Part of me assumes this is all gonna come crashing around me at any moment. But all of the other parts know it isn't."

"What do I have to do to make that one part of you go away?" he asked, softly, looking at her.

Olivia walked over to him, took his hands in hers, making him drop the broken glass back to the floor, and she said, "You already did it. Why do you think I yelled at my director?"

Elliot chuckled and bent his head, kissing her. "You have an attitude problem," he said, giving her a reason.

Olivia laughed as he kissed her, and she moved her hands to the back of his head. "I told you, El. I don't doubt you."

"I will never give you a reason to," he vowed, sliding his hands down to cup her ass. "And I have never, ever, just fucked you."

Olivia chuckled. "Yes, you have. And you loved it," she teased, biting his bottom lip.

"It's always been so much more than that," he told her against her lips. "And it always will be," he promised her. He lifted her up and grunted slightly as she wrapped her legs around him. He turned to his right and sat her down on the counter, keeping his kisses slow and deep as he tugged at her clothes.

"Kids," she whispered.

"Asleep," he countered. He got her shirt unbuttoned and let it fall open, his hands moved to her chest and his thumbs grazed over her hardening nipples. She moaned into his mouth and he groaned back, loving the way she felt and sounded. "My wife," he whispered against the smooth skin of her neck, dragging his lips over her body.

Olivia moaned in pleasure and agreement, though she still had issues with being called his wife, when she was still trying to get used to being his girlfriend without feeling like Hester Prynne. She yanked at the back of his shirt, asking him to take it off, and he obliged, moving his hands, only for a moment, to unbutton his shirt and take off his tie. He immediately moved his hands back to her body, taking off her shirt the rest of the way. He flicked open her bra and pulled it off, staring at her like a hungry lion would look at its prey.

He let out a low growl as he attached his mouth to her left nipple, rolling the right one between the fingers of his left hand. He moaned as he suckled on her, and his right hand moved toward her pants, pulling and tugging at the zipper.

"We shouldn't do this here," Olivia said between breaths and moans. "God, El," she groaned lowly, feeling him pulling roughly on the fabric. She pushed herself up and let Elliot tug her pants out from under her.

"Shouldn't," he said, lifting his head. "But we are," he told her, lifting her off the counter slightly to get her underwear off. They went the way of her pants, dropping to the floor of the kitchen, and he moved in to kiss her. He tugged on her nipple again as they kissed, and Olivia heard a soft plop. She knew then that he had dropped his pants.

Olivia gripped his shoulders, bracing herself for the moment she loved and hated, the most painful pleasure she knew. She moaned and bit his lip gently, digging her nails into his skin as he pushed into her, forcing her to mold around him.

Elliot moved her body, grasping at her hips as he moved, slowly at first, but picking up speed and power as the seconds flew by. "Oh, shit, baby," he grunted, his words in time with his thrusts. He hit into her hard, almost violently, claiming her even more than he already had. He had something to prove to her, and he was going to make damn sure he would never have her doubting him again.

Olivia breathed hard against his lips, moaning soft and high, almost yelping, and she pulled away from his mouth to cry his name softly. She clung to him as he drove deeper and harder into her, and he couldn't stop or slow down. "El," she moaned, "Baby, God."

"Hmmm," Elliot agreed, his lip bitten between his teeth as he nodded. "I love you," he told her, looking into her eyes. She blinked and moaned before saying, "I love you," and then he slowed down. He moved just as deep, but not as vigorously.

"Oh, El," she moaned, her head falling to his shoulder.

Elliot moved one hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair back. "Cum for me, baby," he cooed into her ear. "Show me how much you love me, trust me, need me," he told her softly, nibbling on her earlobe.

"I do," she murmured, her teeth grazing over his shoulder, she wanted nothing more than to bite him. He hit into her faster again and she yelped, then she said, "Oh, God, I do."

He moved his hand from her nipple, sliding it down to her clit. He rubbed, pressed down, then flicked over it rapidly. "Cum for me, and prove it." He grinned as she clenched around him, he chuckled as she began to whimper, and he grunted when she cried his name and began to pulsate around him, milking him.

She felt him fire off inside of her and she moaned, her head fell back, his name escaped her lips almost like a prayer. She was in Heaven. "My God," she panted.

"I need to know," Elliot breathed against her neck, "That you do. You love me, trust me."

Olivia struggled to lift her head, but looked into his eyes as she said, "You know I do. I told you why I…"

"Never have doubts about it again," Elliot told her. He kissed her slowly, moving again, and said, "Please, baby, never think you can't trust me."

"El," Olivia whispered, clutching him as she began to shake again, her orgasm coming on fast and strong. "You have nothing to worry about."

Elliot held her tighter, moving slow, kissing her softly. "Neither do you," he whispered. "I love you so much, I trust you implicitly, that's never gonna change."

Olivia nodded and kissed him again, trying to get her emotions through to him by her kiss. "I believe you," she whispered.

"Thank God," Elliot breathed, moving deeper but not faster. He kissed her and brought them both over the edge again, never once letting her lips detach from his.

Outside, though, someone was waiting, in the cover of the darkness, to detach them. Permanently.

**A/N: Who's outside? What will they try? Will it work? And what happens when Elliot confronts Huang? A night with the kids, who know more than they should, too! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Who's outside? What will they try? Will it work? A chat with the kids, who know more than they should, too!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its characters are the property of Dick Wolf. This story and its parts are the property of TStabler©**

Olivia woke up hours before she needed to, stayed wrapped in Elliot's arms, and thought about how she'd ended up there. Not in his arms, she knew how that happened, but how she ended up where she was in life. Married, working for two different sectors of law enforcement, dragging down innocent people because she screwed up. She let herself fall in love, and that was the end of everything for her. And the beginning of it.

She rolled slightly, hiding her face in his bare chest, and she inhaled his scent. Her eyes slid closed again and she sighed. God, she loved him. He'd given up everything for her, proven he loved her, why was still afraid.

It could have had something to do with the man in the car across the street who wanted her dead.

"Why the hell are you awake, baby?" Elliot mumbled, sliding his hands over her bare back. He pulled her tight and asked, "Something wrong?"

Olivia shook her head and kissed his chest. "Just thinking," she whispered.

"When you think, shit hits the fan," he joked. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"You. Us. Dean," she listed. "In that order," she chuckled.

"Don't think about Dean," he scolded gently. "What about me, though? Us?" he asked, rolling onto his back and taking her with him.

She sighed as she nestled into him, wrapping herself around him. "You're amazing, El. You're wonderful, and I love you." She buried her head further into his chest and said, "As for us? We're married," she mumbled against his skin. "It's…"

"It's perfect," he said to her, stopping what she was going to say. "We've been through this already. You and I both…"

"I was thinking that I was actually happy about it," she interrupted, popping her head up to look at him. She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I want this, El," she whispered.

He looked at her seriously for a moment, then a smile spread slowly over his face. "Good," he said, kissing her. "He still outside?" he asked, kissing her again.

Olivia nodded, not breaking the kiss to speak.

"You think this thing tomorrow is gonna work?" he asked, moving his lips down over her neck.

She nodded again, moaning softly as she did.

"I love that sound," he whispered as he kissed his way back up her neck to her lips. "I plan on making you do that, loudly and often," he said with a smirk. He rolled them over a bit, onto their sides, and pulled her close. "I love you," he whispered, his eyes closing again as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you, El," she said, her eyes wide open. She was terrified, inwardly, that it would be one of the last times she said it. She wasn't as confident as she let on. She closed her eyes, letting him pull her even tighter to him, and she sighed. Happiness, though brief in her life, felt wonderful.

* * *

Olivia walked down the stairs, her gun and badge at her hip, not a hair out of place. Elliot was already in the kitchen, making coffee. She smirked, walking toward him and wrapping her arms around him. "Morning," she said from behind him.

Elliot smirked and said, "Morning, Misses Stabler." He turned and kissed her, still smiling against her lips. "You ready for this?" he asked.

"I have to be," she sighed.

"Good morning!" Maureen chirped, bouncing into the kitchen. "How was your night?" she asked, grinning.

Elliot pulled away from Olivia and looked at his daughter. "Fine," he said, clearing his throat. "It was…fine."

"Do we have to call Olivia 'Mom,' now?" Kathleen asked, chuckling.

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?" she asked, raising both eyebrows, taking a coffee cup from Elliot.

"Ya know, since technically you're our mother now," Maureen said, tilting her head. "A package came for you yesterday while you were at work."

"Did you open it?" Elliot asked, leaning against the counter as he sipped his coffee.

"Dickie did," Kathleen said. "It was a marriage license, certificate, and letter of congratulations from Mister Langan."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other. "Uh, guys, look, we were…"

"We read the letter," Kathleen said. "We know. It's okay. We're just…well we all kind of wanted to know…what you were gonna do about it."

Olivia choked on her coffee. "Well, uh, we…were gonna….we're actually…"

"Nothing," Elliot said with a sigh. "Guys, Liv and I…aren't doing anything about it. We're married. We're staying that way."

Lizzie and Dickie had just walked into the kitchen as those words were said, and the twins cheered. "Awesome!" Dickie yelled.

"Finally, someone in the house who understands my love for British literature!" Lizzie exclaimed.

Olivia chuckled. "You guys are okay with this?" she asked warily.

"Not exactly how we imagined this happening," Maureen shrugged, "But we knew it would eventually happen. Especially since you've been together for almost a year already."

Elliot choked on his coffee, mimicking Olivia's early actions. He caught his breath and asked, "How the hell did you…"

"Dad," Kathleen interrupted, "You would come home at three in the morning, you'd sleep on the couch, and you mumble in your sleep. How many different nicknames did you give her?"

"There was Liv, obviously," Dickie said, biting into his bagel.

"And Livvie," Kathleen snickered.

Lizzie swallowed her juice and asked, "May I ask why you mumbled something about a butterfly?"

"Okay!" Olivia shouted with a clap of her hands. "Everyone off to school. Go!" She shooed the kids out of the kitchen, watched as they grabbed their jackets and bags, and rushed them out of the door.

She turned, glaring at Elliot, and asked, "You mumble about my butterfly in your sleep?"

"Well, I was obviously dreaming about it," he said with a smirk, running his hands over her hips.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least they don't hate me."

"Because they read Trevor's damned letter," Elliot said, grabbing his gun and putting in his holster. "If they hadn't, they'd probably be pissed off."

Olivia looked at him with a worried look.

"I'm kidding," Elliot laughed. "They love you, Liv."

"Oh," she said, stopping him again. "When the hell do you call me 'Livvie?"

Elliot laughed. "Only in my dreams," he said, finally walking out of the door. "You ready to take Dean for a ride?"

Olivia smirked as she put on her sunglasses and got behind the wheel. "Damn right, I'm ready," she said. "Fasten your seatbelt," she said, snapping hers shut. She turned the key, put the car into drive, and hit the gas, taking off with a screech and leaving a puff of smoke in her wake.

"Shit, baby!" Elliot said, thrown back in his chair. "What the hell…"

"CIA issued car," Olivia laughed. "You have to see the bells and whistles on this thing."

He chuckled and looked into the mirror. "We got company," he said. "Asshole's following us."

"That's the plan, El," she said with a grin. She made a very sharp turn, then began driving backward down the one-way street. She was watching a small monitor so she didn't have to turn around. "He's in front of us now," she chuckled.

"Still following you," Elliot said. "Or at least trying to," he laughed. "Just don't get us killed, baby. I said, 'till death do us part,' but I want to be at least ninety when that happens."

Olivia chuckled and said, "Don't worry, El. We're gonna be just fine." She turned the wheel fast, making another quick turn and heading down an alley. She stopped the car, screeching to a halt, and got out of the car. She stayed behind the open door as she turned and aimed her gun, waiting for Dean's car to pull into the alley.

Elliot, in the same position on the other side of the car, held his breath when the car turned the corner. He fired, popping the tires, and heard Olivia's gun go off, too.

She'd shot the side mirror off.

Dean, admittedly frightened, raised his hands and slowly got out of the car. "Olivia, stop!" he yelled. "Hold your fire!" he screamed.

Elliot cocked his trigger, knowing not to trust him. Olivia stuck her thumb and forefinger of her left hand into her mouth and whistled, which prompted several armed agents to come out of hiding places. "It's not me you have to worry about," she said, grinning.

Dean gulped, his hands still in the air. "Damn it, Olivia, I just need to talk to you!"

"Talk? You want to talk to me after you tried to kill me?" she asked, yelling. "What the hell do you want to talk about?"

Dean took a hesitant step forward, dodging a bullet as Elliot fired. "Hey!" he yelled.

"Finger slipped," Elliot snapped, smirking.

Olivia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Go on," she yelled.

"There's a way out of this, Benson!" Dean yelled. "You have something the FBI wants, and if you give it to them, they'll call this whole thing off! It's a negotiable deal, Olivia! I don't even have a gun with me right now. I'm unarmed."

Olivia narrowed her eyes behind her shades. "What is it that they want?" she asked. "What's worth trying to kill me, Dean? What do we have that you don't?"

Dean smirked, took another step, and said, "You."

Elliot and Olivia shot each other a look over the hood of the car. Elliot narrowed his eyes and looked back toward Dean. "What do you mean, her?"

"Not just her," Dean said. "The both of you. You know too much, the chief wants to find out what you know, and he wants to, uh, borrow you from Central Intelligence," he explained. "You might be the key to solving a case we've been working on for years."

Olivia kept her gun aimed, but stepped out from behind the open door. "What case?" she asked, tilting her head.

Dean lowered his arms, carefully and slowly, and asked, "Olivia, do you know anyone named Simon Marsden?"

Olivia's eyes widened. She looked at Elliot. She lowered her gun and said, "Shit."

**A/N: What? What about Simon? What did the letter from Trevor say? What will the conversation with Dean, Olivia, and Elliot reveal? And who is the head of the FBI? Who's working for him already? Someone you would never expect. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: What? What about Simon? What did the letter from Trevor say? What will the conversation with Dean, Olivia, and Elliot reveal? And who is the head of the FBI? Someone you would never expect.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its characters are the property of Dick Wolf. This story and its parts are the property of TStabler©**

Getting back to the CIA building with Dean in the car was horrible. He kept apologizing to Olivia, then begging for a second chance with her. If he called her "Lovey" one more time she would have had to turn around and shoot him.

Finally, Elliot parked in their designated spot and escorted Dean, with Olivia, up to an interview room.

Kline, already inside, handed Elliot a file and told them to sit. They were waiting for Dean's director, so they had some time to kill. Elliot sat at the table and began flipping through his file, when a bit of information he'd read struck him, hard. "Liv," he said, "Where did you go for training? You had to go through the FBI academy before you were picked up by the CIA didn't you?"

Olivia blinked. "Yeah," she whispered. "Why?"

"Which one?" Elliot asked, flipping the page in his file.

Olivia held her breath for a moment before answering, "Quantico. I don't know why you're..."

"That's the one that's stationed on a Marine base, isn't it?" he asked, interrupting, already knowing the answer.

"Do you have to do this right now?" Olivia asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Hey," Elliot said with a smirk, "It's in the file, so I'm guessing it's related to the case. Just tell me, was it or wasn't it..."

"Yes," she said, snipping at him. "But you obviously knew that. Why is this so important?"

Elliot's eyes narrowed. "It was you," he said, "Wasn't it?"

"What was?" she asked, trying hard to figure out why he cared so much about such a small part of her past.

Elliot leaned over to her and said, "The girl. The agent who investigated the on-base shit, that was you."

"I tagged along with the BAU as part of a rotation," she said with a shrug. "I was a rookie, El, I didn't investigate any..."

"I couldn't take my eyes off of you, ya know that?" he interrupted with a smile.

Olivia furrowed her brow. "That's where you were stationed," she said, understanding why it mattered now.

"When you walked into my life, as my partner, I thought it was you, but then I figured it was just...ridiculous," Elliot told her. "At least now I can rest easy knowing I've only ever really fantasized about one woman, now. It's always been you, Liv." He narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Even before you were the other woman, you were the other woman. We'd never even formally met. I saw you there, what, twice? I wanted you then, I want you now."

Olivia blushed and looked at Dean, who looked thoroughly pissed off. "So, what about Simon?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Stabler just read the file," Dean spat. "Ask him," he said, glaring at her.

She looked at Elliot, clearing her throat, feeling the weight of another long-forgotten memory lift off of her shoulders. "Well?" she questioned.

Elliot slid the file over to her and said, "Apparently, Simon's wanted for questioning by the FBI. Has been for years. It's why Agent Porter here was even in your life in the first place. He needed to get to you to get to him," he said, with bitter amusement as he compared their situations. "He didn't know you didn't even know Simon existed then. But now that you do, he thinks..."

"What did he do?" Olivia asked, not giving Elliot time to finish his thought.

Dean leaned over the table. "Your brother is the only link we have to a double homicide in Boston."

"You think Simon's a killer?" Olivia asked, anger in her voice and her features.

"Liv," Elliot said, resting a calming hand on her shoulder. "He's the only living witness."

Olivia's eyes widened. "You need to put him in the program," she said softly. She turned to Elliot and said, "El, he'll never trust me again if I..."

"You don't have a choice, Detective," a stern voice from behind her said. "Or is it Agent? I'm having a hard time figuring out who it is that you're really working for."

Olivia's eyes closed and she turned to face the man who'd been speaking. "Son of a bitch," she said, her face frozen in shock.

The man took a step forward and said, "See, it's impossible to work for two separate entities, Benson. You're either a detective who infiltrated the CIA, or you're an agent who's out to bring down the NYPD." He tossed a folder at her and said, "You've already taken down five detectives in your unit in the last four years. You ripped your partner's family apart, I'm guessing you're the latter of those two choices," he said with a sneer.

Olivia took a breath and eyed the man evilly. "You smug son of a bitch," she hissed again. "What the hell are you...how the hell are you involved in all of this?"

Kline cleared his throat. "Benson, he's been promoted. He's the new director of the Fugitive Apprehension Force with the FBI."

Elliot screwed up his face in confusion. "Don't you need more than four brain cells for that?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Oh, she dragged you into this, too?" the man asked with a grin. He turned back to Olivia and said, "Make that six detectives who's lives you destroyed."

"Cut the crap, Andy," she yelled. "You're bitter, I get that. You and I both know why it ended."

"Yeah, and he's sitting right there," Andy said, jutting a thumb at Elliot. Then he sighed. "Personal vendettas aside, I need you, Olivia."

"Heard that before," Olivia said with a wicked smirk.

Andy let out a low sound, like a growl, and said, "This time it's serious. We need Simon, Olivia. We need him now, he's in a world of trouble. You're his sister, you have to help him."

"I've only known him for two months!" Olivia said with an air of exasperation.

"Do you know where he is?" Andy asked.

Olivia folded her arms. "I'll find him, if you answer me one question," she said. She watched Andy grin and nod, then said, "Porter, Huang, what was all that..."

"Porter's assignment was given to him before I was in charge," Andy interrupted. "When we found out you didn't even know who Simon was, we made sure he wouldn't and couldn't hurt you. He got locked up, the operation was forgotten about." He sighed and scratched his head. "When Huang started working for your unit, he kept an eye and ear out for anything related to Marsden. When he eventually found out that you discovered Simon, I was his first phone call. I told him to get you alone, whatever way he could, and make you talk."

Elliot stood up then, hate in his eyes. "But when you found out about me, that changed, is that it?"

Andy turned on Elliot and gave him a harsh glare. "I got a letter from some hump named Trevor. Told me you two got hitched. Somehow, he knew I had a thing for Olivia, and was planning to use the interrogation to get...never mind," he said, changing his mind when he saw the threatening look he was getting from Elliot. "I called Huang. Told him to find out if it was true, told him to see how far you'd go to stay with each other. I needed to know you really loved her, so I could let her go." He looked at Olivia softly and said, "I never told him to shoot at you. George has never been one for tactical operations. He's a psychiatrist."

Kline looked at them and said, "Huang was motivated even more when your captain told him he needed to make sure you two would stay together, and it wouldn't interfere with work. He called me, told me you were with Huang, and that's when I called you and told you to get back to the station. I knew something was up."

Olivia looked at Elliot. Their eyes comforted each other and they said unspoken words of love and thanks, finding relief in the moment. Olivia looked away from him, not trusting herself to stare at him anymore. "If I can get Simon, where and when do I bring him to meet you? And I swear to God, Andy, if you're lying to me and you're not really trying to help him..."

"Olivia," Andy said, cutting her off. "I may take a few risks, I enjoy a good adrenaline rush, and my moral compass will never point north, but I have never, and will never, lie to you. You're impossible to lie to. Easy to love, but fucking impossible to lie to. Ask Elliot."

Olivia blinked once at Andy, turned to look at Elliot, then turned around completely to look at Dean. "The only three men in my life I've ever been mildly serious about in one room. I've had this dream before, only Elliot was beating the shit out of the two of you," she said, waving a finger between Dean and Andy.

"We were fighting?" Andy asked, amused.

Olivia nodded and pointed at Elliot. "He definitely won," she said.

Dean finally spoke. "You two are married?" he asked, anger seeping out of every pore.

Elliot smirked and nodded. "Like she said," he told him. "I won."

Kline sighed and said, "Will you two please, just...get back to work? Here, SVU, I don't care. Just do your jobs and find Simon. When you do, you call me, and I'll come pick you up. I'm not letting you go anywhere alone with these...feds," he said.

"She wouldn't be alone," Elliot said. "But thanks," he said, leading Olivia out of the room. Once in the hallway, he pulled her close and kissed her sweetly, finding a private moment amid the chaos that had become their lives.

Little did they know, it wasn't so private anymore. A very pissed off man had followed them out to the elevator. He would make sure the next time they saw each other, he would finish the job he'd left undone, and get what he really wanted. Them.

**A/N: Who was watching them? Kline, Porter, and Andy were all still in the interview room! Oh, boy! The next chapter, they get a step closer to Simon, and they handle a case with a little "sexpionage." Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Who was watching them? Kline, Porter, and Andy were all still in the interview room! Oh, boy! What happens when they need to handle a case with a little "sexpionage?"**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its characters are the property of Dick Wolf. This story and its parts are the property of TStabler©**

"They're getting on my fucking nerves," Elliot mumbled under his breath, knowing Andy and Porter were within earshot. The two had showed up at the precinct, and were watching Elliot and Olivia like hawks. As if they might run or attempt to solve the case without them.

"Because they're butting into our case or because they're my ex-boyfriends?" Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes as she stirred her coffee.

Elliot grunted. "It's taking everything I've got not to beat the shit out of either one of them," he said. "Porter keeps snarling at me, and Eckerson keeps drooling at you. If they say one more thing under their breath about your ass…"

"You talk about my ass all the time," she interrupted, smirking.

"I'm allowed! They're not," he said, pouting.

She gave him shoulder a soft tap and said, "You're hot when you're jealous." She walked away and headed for her desk, ignoring Elliot's whimper and sitting with a smirk.

Elliot followed, his coffee in his hands, and sat across from her, occasionally glancing up from his paperwork to glare at Eckerson and Porter, who were chatting idly with Cragen.

When Olivia's cell phone went off, though, all eyes were on her. She looked around, then down at her phone. "It's Simon," she said, looking up with a concerned expression at Elliot.

"Answer it," Eckerson demanded, "And you," he snapped at Elliot, "Trace it."

"I'm not TARU, you moron," Elliot hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Nothing's even hooked up down here! How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Eckerson blinked, realizing his demand was a bit foolish, and turned back toward Olivia. "Answer the phone, babe," he said.

Olivia rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. "Hey," she said, trying to sound cool and casual. "Where are you?" she asked, her eyes closing a bit as if she was struggling to hear him. "What? Where are you going? Don't…don't do that! I didn't…no, Simon, listen to me. Stay right there. I'm coming to…alone. The only one with me will be Elliot, I promise. Stay there!" She hung up and looked at her partner. "He's at Grand Central; he thinks I set him up. Someone showed up at his office and told him…"

"What? Who?" Porter yelled.

Olivia sighed and flicked the long bangs out of her face as she said, "Huang."

Elliot got up fast, grabbed his keys, and didn't have to look behind him to know that Porter and Eckerson were following him. "You don't get to come," he shouted, turning on them. "Liv and I will handle this. We'll bring him back. Seeing you will just scare him off." He smirked, pointed to Eckerson, and said, "And if you ever call my wife 'babe' again, I will break every bone in your body."

"Threatening the director of an FBI division, are you?" Eckerson asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hitting on the wife of a CIA operative is a pretty serious offense, with a pretty serious punishment," Elliot hissed, his eyes cold and voice low. He turned and headed out the door, with Olivia at his side.

* * *

"Olivia," Simon said, his voice harsh and his breath ragged. He looked around, in all directions, not trusting that she and Elliot were there alone. "How could you do this to me?" he asked.

Olivia looked into his eyes. "I didn't," she said, willing him to believe her. "You have to believe me. The FBI…they need to take you into protective custody. You're in danger, Simon. That man…the guy you saw…"

"I know," Simon said. "He's after me. He's the one who warned me that you gave me up, told the feds I did it and if I wanted to live I would…"

"Hold on," Elliot interrupted. "You told Olivia that George Huang was here and that he…"

"He's the killer, Elliot!" Simon yelled. He lowered his voice, knowing that Grand Central Station was probably not the best place to be yelling about killers. "He's the man I saw shoot Hendrix. He's the guy I've been avoiding, the man that's been trying to get to you, through me, and…"

"Me?" Olivia asked, stunned. Then it all made sense. "Elliot, he didn't want to finish Porter's job," she said, looking over at him.

Elliot nodded. "He wanted to get us out of the way because we were protecting the only one who could ID him as a killer. Shit, man, Huang? He always seemed so…"

"The man is crazy," Simon yelled. "He would listen in on my sessions with Hendrix, and he would butt in with all these questions about you, and he kept asking if I had any repressed sexual desires toward…God, you're my sister! He's fucking nuts!"

"Simon, calm down," Elliot said, resting a hand on the panicking man's shoulder. "We know he's gone off the deep end, and we're gonna get you away from him, but you have to trust us."

Simon shook his head. "I can't do that, Elliot. She's done nothing but lie to me since I met her, and then this quack of a doctor kills my therapist because she won't seduce you, and then comes after me because I saw it, he tells me she planned it all to get you in trouble with your wife and he shows me these pictures, she's in the goddamned CIA, what the hell am I supposed to…"

"Hey!" Olivia snapped, grabbing his face. "Simon, I'm not going to hurt you. I would never do that to anyone, you know that. Listen to me; I need you to come with us, down to the station. You will talk to me and Elliot, and you will tell us everything, then a couple of very nice agents are gonna take you somewhere safe until you can testify against…"

"Hold on," Simon said, his eyes narrowing. "You want me to go into witness protection? Is that what's happening here?"

Elliot and Olivia both looked at each other, then back at him, and they nodded. "Yeah," Olivia whispered. "We need a full statement, and then you'll be given a new life, a new identity. You'll be safe."

Suddenly the panic and fear in Simon's features were replaced with remorse and somber sadness. "I just…we were just getting to know each other, Olivia. How can I possibly…"

"I'll be able to talk to you," she said with a small smile. "I'm in the CIA, remember?" she joked with a wink.

Simon sighed, looked around one more time, and then walked with them toward their car. Elliot helped him into the backseat, closed the door, then heaved a sigh and turned to look at Olivia. "Huang killed Hendrix," he said, as if just getting it.

"After trying to get her to sleep with you," she said, returning his perplexed gaze.

"That never happened," he said, pointing a finger into the air. "You know I would never sleep with…"

"You were already having one affair," Olivia interrupted. "You cheated on Kathy because you knew she wouldn't care, and you kinds loved me. You wouldn't cheat on me, because you know I'd kill you."

Elliot chuckled walking around to the driver's side. "Kinda?" he scoffed. "Baby, I'm crazy about you." He moved to open the door, but stopped and looked up at her. "What reason would Huang possibly have to try to break up my first marriage, and then come after us after we get married?"

Olivia shook her head, resting one arm over the hood of the car. "He was always so nice to us, professional, and a friend." She shrugged and said, "Like I said, El. You can't trust anyone but me anymore." She looked into the backseat and said, "I don't even know if I trust him."

Elliot gave her an apologetic look, and then finally opened the door, sliding into his seat. He waited until Olivia was in and buckled up, turned to glance at Simon, and drove off, heading back toward the precinct.

* * *

"Are you serious?" Cragen asked, his face falling as Olivia and Elliot told him what Simon had said during his interrogation. "Huang is after…that? I mean, I knew he had a fetish or two, but…really?"

Elliot smirked smugly. "When you're hot, you're hot, Cap. It's kind of flattering…in a sick, twisted, psychopathic sort of way."

"Our psych guy wants to watch my two best detectives…do things…to each other…for some sexual behavioral study he's conducting, Elliot!" Cragen yelled. "It's not flattering! It's freaky!"

Olivia smirked. "He's been working on this for over a year," she said, tossing a file down on Cragen's desk. "And I'm not entirely surprised at who he's conducting the study for, or why."

Cragen flipped through the file, then looked up at Elliot and Olivia. "So why did he need Hendrix?" he asked.

"According to Simon," Elliot said, folding his arms, "She was his first willing participant. The study is supposed to show human reaction to different sexual situations. That's why he was sitting in on Simon's sessions. He was trying to get information that might feed his theories about incest and attraction to people you, uh, shouldn't be attracted to."

Olivia suppressed a gag, and said, "Huang then asked Hendrix to try to lure Elliot into bed, to see his reaction to an unwanted sexual advance, and he hoped Elliot would eventually cave, proving his theory that there's only so much temptation a man can refuse before he fives in."

"Simon found all this out, how?" Cragen asked, rubbing his eyes, finding it confusing and exhausting.

Elliot coughed and said, " Cap, he didn't. Liv did. She hacked into Huang's computer, warrant already received, and cracked some encrypted files. Outlined his entire experiment. Journals, observations, records of…incidents."

Cragen's eyes shot up to Olivia. "Tell me he wrote about killing Hendrix," he said, hopeful.

"December Nineteenth," she read from a printout with a wicked smirk on her face. "Subject One-oh-one had to be discarded. Unwilling to follow through with latest requirement, but have seen Subject One-oh-three and Subject One-oh-two engaging in illicit…" she paused. "Well, it's close enough to a confession, isn't it?" she asked, her face reddening.

Elliot ran a hand down his face, trying not to smirk. He'd read the evaluation, and he was proud, excited, and a little afraid of how well the doctor thought he and Olivia had fit together as lovers, and how amazing they looked. "Yeah," he said with a cocky attitude. "It is."

"Does it say anything in there about why he held you two in that bar?" Cragen asked, then, tilting his head.

"Elliot chuckled and sent a glance at live. "He wanted to see how we, uh, performed under pressure."

Cragen sighed, ran two hands over his face and crossed his arms. "Well," he said with a shrug, "The only way to get him is to give him what he wants."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, smirked, and knew that being partners had never been more exciting than it was right now.

**A/N: SEXPIONAGE! Next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: A little sexpionage is always a good idea.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story and writings/musing belong to TStabler©**

"You sure this is gonna work?" Elliot asked, standing in front of a panoramic window with the curtains draped back. He poured two glasses of wine, and watched her move. Slinking toward him, she smirked. "You gonna answer me, or just look at me like you wanna eat me?" he asked, smirking back.

She stood next to him, taking the wine, and she sipped. "It'll work," she said, placing the glass on the table. Her hands moved over his shoulders slowly, running down his chest. "Trust me," she whispered.

He growled, low and soft, and said, "It's not you I don't trust." His hands wrapped around her waist, he began to sway her back and forth, and he asked, "You think he's watching? You think he's over there, watching this?"

She kissed his neck, trailing her lips up to his earlobe. "Even if he isn't, we're giving some other people one hell of a show tonight," she whispered. "And we're finally alone," she added. She nibbled lightly on his earlobe, listening to the moan he gave in response.

"Baby," he whispered, his grip on her hips tightening, "What do you mean, other people?"

She chuckled. "Surveillance, El," she said, kissing back down his neck, over his chest. Her hands ran up and down his back teasingly, and she said, "They're watching us, and they're watching him. He's watching us, not knowing he's being watched. If he tries anything, they'll step in and…"

"Okay," he moaned, feeling her nails lightly rake up his back. "I get it. I just…in front of the window? Really? That's not suspicious?" he asked, cupping her chin and moving her head. He kissed her lips and moved her back into the wall.

"We can use the bed," she moaned, feeling him untie the silk robe she wore. "It's visible from the window, El. The hotel is…"

Before she could finish, he lifted her into his arms and tossed her into the middle of the bed behind him. "I'd like to keep most of this private," he said, pulling the belt out of the loops and chuckling as the silk sheath fell open, revealing her perfect breasts and incredibly toned body.

She bit her bottom lip, still feeling the pangs of shy apprehension. No matter how many times he saw her naked, she always felt somehow inferior, not good enough, and his words of protest and assurance never really soothed her.

"Beautiful," he whispered, looping a hand around her back. He slid the robe off of her completely and tossed it over his head, then bent forward to kiss her. "Love you," he murmured against her lips as he fingered the buckle on his belt. He pulled the leather off and away, then rose to his knees and shirked off his pants, kicking them back and off of his feet.

She smirked, the bit of self-consciousness fading away as she looked at his naked body before her. "You definitely do not suffer from performance anxiety," she teased, raising an arm and sliding one finger from his neck to his navel, eliciting a moan from him.

"Not at all," he quipped in return, sliding closer to her. He worked his arms under her body, pulling apart her legs and raising her limbs around his hips. "With you, I'm always very ready, very willing, and very able," he cooed.

She chuckled, throwing her head back as he sunk his teeth into her neck. He bit and nibbled, pulling her lower body closer to his. He mumbled something against her skin, heard her moan in agreement, then slid back, away from him. He smirked at her and slid down her body, licking and kissing his way from her neck to her inner thighs. He knew the people watching were pissed off, jealous, and he wanted to milk it for all it was worth, while he made sure Olivia enjoyed every minute of it as much as he was.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan as his tongue ran up her slit, and her back arched when he sucked on her clit of a moment. He began lapping at her, his long, powerful tongue driving her mad, working fast. "Oh, my God," she said, barely a whisper as he flicked his tongue over her clit rapidly, then dived back into her fully, devouring her.

He felt her hands running through his hair, her fingers digging into his scalp, he moaned with her swollen, sensitive flesh in his mouth. He slurped a bit, chuckling and moaning, loving her taste and the way she moved beneath him, bending and breaking at his will. He felt her body tense, saw her back arch higher, heard her scream his name and let loose a feral growl. He licked her still, cleaning and lapping up everything she'd just given him with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

She whined as he continued his assault on her, feeling a slight pain run through her as her body calmed down yet remained hyper-sensitive.

He chuckled as he crawled back over her, licking his lips, and he peered down at her, grinning. "Hi," he said, nudging her nose and teasing at a kiss, always just barely missing her lips.

"Hi," she panted, blinking up at him.

"You think he's still watching?" he asked, brushing his lips over her chin, tormenting her, knowing what she wanted as she still breathed heavily beneath him.

She nodded. "I think Andy and Dean had mutual heart attacks, though."

He chuckled. "Good," he said, finally pressing his lips to hers and giving her a rough kiss.

She moaned into his mouth and found some strength, pushing him up and flipping him over. She straddled him, returning his smirk, and said, "Turnabout's fair play."

"What does that…" he was cut off when he watched as she moved, pecking small kisses to his hot skin, moving down. She took him into her mouth and he was lost. He let out a choking sound as he closed his eyes, and gasped when he felt the magic her tongue and lips were working on him. "Oh, baby," he said softly, his hands moving through her hair, caressing lovingly as she bobbed over him.

She hummed around him, knowing he'd get even more worked up. She ran her free hand over the skin of his left thigh, making him buck gently and moan a little louder, and she was surprised when he stopped her head moving with his hands.

He gripped her hair, tugged lightly so she'd move up toward him, and she complied. When she met him, nose to nose, he looped a hand around her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. His eyes closed as their tongues danced and wrestled, and he shifted and raised his hips, pushing upward into her.

* * *

They were truly a sight to behold, Huang thought, peering out of his hotel room window. He scrawled notes in a pad, never taking his eyes off of them. He had followed them from the precinct, expecting them to head to her apartment, or his, but when he saw them pull into the hotel parking lot, he used his FBI credentials to get the man at the desk to tell him what room they were in.

He immediately headed into the hotel next door, booking the room parallel, and setting up an observation corner. He never imagined the view would be this good, but he was thrilled that it was. "Subjects exhibit great personal connection," he said with a smirk, writing. "Remarkable physical stamina," he mumbled, his eyes darting from the window to his notebook. "Too bad this is the last time they'll be able to be like this," he chuckled, putting his notebook and pen down and picking up a long gun.

He aimed, turning on a laser to ensure a direct hit. "At least you'll die happy," he said, resting his finger lightly on the trigger. "Goodbye," he whispered, watching the red pin-precision dot swirl on the back of Olivia's moving head.

He was about to pull the trigger, when someone else fired. Two simultaneous gunshots rang out. Huang crumpled off of his chair to the floor, blinking rapidly as he felt the pain rip through his body. He rolled his head and Saw Andy Eckerson, a smoking gun in his hand.

"Got ya," Eckerson said, nodding once. He and Dean Porter had been in the next room, they had followed Huang as he followed Olivia and Elliot, and once he saw the red beam of light on Olivia's skin, he and Dean rushed into the room, trapping him and saving her.

Dean, though, was transfixed, looking out the window instead of at the doctor, bleeding on the floor. He saw Olivia and Elliot, rolling over, still going at it despite the shattered window and bullet-perforated headboard on the bed. "They didn't even notice," he said with a furrowed brow.

"They noticed," Andy said, bending over to pull Huang to his feet. "They're just a little too busy trying to stay alive to care. Honestly, man, would you stop if you thought someone would shoot you in the head if you stayed still long enough?"

"No," Dean said. "I wouldn't. They gotta be almost done, right?" he asked, holstering his gun. "They've been in there for…"

Andy shot him a look. "They were bait, you ass. Nothing they're doing is real, ya schmuck. They're probably waiting until we give them the all-clear. " He slapped cuffs on Huang and whistled at Porter. "Let's go tell 'em they can stop writhing around like that."

"It looks real, Andy," Porter said. He could have sworn it was all real. He'd bet his life on it. He'd win.

Andy scoffed. "You really think they'd let us watch 'em fuck? It was a set up, and their good agents, with an assignment."

Dean grunted and rolled his eyes, then moved over to Huang. He looked into his eyes and pressed two fingers into the bleeding wound in his shoulder. "Who hired you?" he asked. "You could have gotten to Marsden without them. Who hired you?"

"Man, Benson knows," Andy said, trying to tug Huang, who was yelling in pain, away from Dean.

"I wanna hear it from him!" Porter yelled.

Huang squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, shouting, "Kline! Kline!"

Porter let go of Huang, looked up at Andy, then back out the window at Olivia and Elliot, who had stopped moving, but were still kissing. He didn't think she knew. Kline would have been dead by now, if she knew. He just didn't want to be the one that had to tell her.

**A/N: Kline? Wow, can't trust anyone at all, can they? Can they trust Dean now? Find out! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Kline? Wow, can't trust anyone at all, can they? Can they trust Dean now?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

She was staring into the interrogation room, watching intently as Porter and Eckerson grilled Kline. The man was stoic, almost regal as he confessed to everything, from making Trevor file real documents to hiring Huang to do a sexual behavior study on agents and their families. She felt a breeze sweep into the observation room, but she didn't turn around. She was too busy watching another person she trusted detail his betrayal.

"Liv," Elliot said, snapping his new wife-slash-partner out of some kind of trance.

"Huh?" she asked, turning out, startled.

He took a step toward her, handed her a cup of coffee, and asked, "Are you all right? You haven't heard a word I said, have you?"

She took the coffee gratefully, letting the heat from the mug warm her hands. For some reason, she was incredibly cold. "Not really," she said, taking a sip.

"How did you know?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "Porter said you knew. You knew Kline was behind this whole thing, and you didn't…"

"I didn't know," she said. "I suspected. I didn't know. There's a difference." She took another sip, feeling a shiver run down her spine. "It's freezing in here," she hissed, taking yet another sip.

"No, it's not," he replied, looking at her strangely. "Are you feeling…"

She interrupted him with a bit of a snap. "I'm fine," she told him. "I knew he…God, he was handling this too well, you and me, the case, he was so…so fucking understanding." She looked up at him and shook her head with a bitter chuckle. "He told me once that agents didn't have families. That's just the way it was. He said it was an unwritten rule, agents didn't have relationships. Just casual, meaningless flings, between assignments. That's the life an agent leads."

"That's a shitty life, Liv," he said, sitting next to her.

She nodded. "I lived like that, El. For a long time, but then you…" she stopped. For some reason she couldn't say it. She couldn't admit it. "Well, I guess he found a way to tie me down. See what would happen if I ever…if I ever needed to do what he did."

"What he did?" Elliot asked, not following her thinking.

She blinked, turned her head, and looked into his eyes. "He wanted me to make a choice, El. I got my next assignment yesterday, before we went to that hotel. He wanted to see if I would choose the job over you." She blinked once. "Abandon you like he abandoned his family."

He tilted his head. "You weren't gonna…"

"You think I would?" she asked, squinting slightly.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I just…he had to know you wouldn't."

She scoffed. "He was hoping I would. Prove to him that you haven't sucked all the training out of me." She sipped her coffee again, cursing the fact that it had gone cold, and chilled her rather than warmed her up. "He knew it wouldn't be easy if I was on the case with your…Kathy. Then when you came in claiming you wanted to work…well, then he figured as long as it wasn't serious, it still wouldn't be a hard choice. But making us…forcing us to…" she couldn't say the words, she just bit her lip and shrugged. "He was trying to make it painful, trying to make it damn near impossible, knowing that I would take the job and leave you behind."

"What?" he asked, his heart breaking.  
"Two years ago, I would have," she said, nodding. "Now, I…I wouldn't make it down

the goddamned hallway if you weren't a foot behind me. Or ahead of me. Or next to me." She blinked up at him again, bit her lip again, and sighed again. "He had no idea that I was really in love with you. Enough in love to give this all up, if you'd asked."

"So he tried to kill you?" he asked, moving closer to her.

She sipped the cool coffee. She needed something to do with her hands. She said, "I guess he finally realized that I wouldn't leave you, El. He knew I wasn't gonna take any job he gave me if I couldn't do it with you, especially after he saw Huang's very detailed reports." She shrugged. "In the CIA, El, you either retire at sixty or die. Most people die first." She shook her head and looked away from him. "There's no other way out."

He cupped her chin and pulled her head toward his, making him face her. "I don't want out," he said softly. "I'm in this with you," he said, lifting his left hand, "For life."

She smiled a small smile at him, feeling the chill start to fade away. "You are," she said, her brow scrunching just slightly. "Aren't you?"

He took her hand, peeling it away from the half empty mug. He held it as he asked, "So what's this assignment he wanted you to drop me for?"

She chuckled, rolling her eyes, and said, "It's a career making case. The kind of assignment agents kill for. I know three who have."

He laughed. "Okay, little-miss-cryptic. Tell me what we're doing," he said, his hand still linked with hers. He never took his eyes off of hers.

She looked at him, blinked once, leaned into him, and asked, "You remember last Friday, when Munch was trying to convince you that the Mayor had personnel files on ever cop in the city?

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "He said something about the guy using dirty cops to run an underground crime ring in exchange for letting them off on their minor offenses. I told him he needed to lay off the Sci-Fi channel and that he was fucking crazy."

She smirked and said, "Baby, what would you say if I told you that Munch wasn't so crazy after all?"

He raised his eyebrows, saw the gleam in her eye, and knew that whatever it was, he was gonna love it.

The door opened before he could answer her, and Dean Porter stepped in. he sighed as he pulled up a chair and shook his head. "I am so sorry about all of this," he said. "It was supposed to be a simple fugitive apprehension and witness…"

"It's fine," Olivia interrupted, her chill coming back. She shuddered, noticed by Elliot, and said, "I know why he did it. It wasn't your fault. No apologizing necessary."

Porter blinked. "Oh, yeah, well…still, that's two people that have been ripped away from you in less than forty-eight hours. I'm sorry I'm the one who has to do that to you."

She shrugged. "I'm used to it," she said easily.

"No one should be used to that," Elliot told her.

Porter cleared his throat, looked at them, and said, "Kline is stepping down from his position as director, for obvious reasons, and…well, I've been asked to…"

"Oh, no," Elliot interrupted, rolling his eyes. "You?" he queried.

"Can I finish please?" Porter snapped, glaring at him. "I've been asked to find his replacement. And there are only two people, right now, that I can think of to take his place. One is in Iowa on an assignment and the other is…well, You, Olivia."

She looked up at him for a brief moment before giving a resounding, "No."

"No?" Porter repeated, as if he couldn't believe she refused.

"Did I stutter?" she asked, freezing again. "No. No way. Absolutely not. Negative. Nein. Nyet. I can say it in six other languages."

Porter sputtered and spat, "Why?"

"Because I…" she looked at him for a moment. A long moment. She remembered, though it was an inopportune time, that he watched her make love to Elliot. He saw more than that, and she was slightly embarrassed, now that he was asking her an occupational question. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "I have a family to think about," she said. "It's hard enough pulling the hours I already do, I don't need to be anyone's boss."

Porter chuckled. "Family?" he asked. "Please, Olivia, don't tell me you already consider his kids your family. Your marriage is a fucking joke, Kline told us everything. You two can go down to the clerk's office and…"

"We're really married," she said, her voice turning as cold as she felt. "It's not a joke, and he and his kids are my family. They were my family before any of this happened," she said as her eyes narrowed.

Porter tilted his head. "You were really…wow, uh, I mean…wow, shit! You're flexible," he said, his mind going where Olivia's had gone only moments before. "You know this'll kill your career. You have a way out."

Olivia pushed her cold mug away and stood up, resting her hands on Elliot's shoulders. "I don't think so, Porter. You get Stevenson on the phone, tell him to get his ass back here. Iowa's bunk anyway, case is closed. My partner and I have work to do." She squeezed, eliciting a moan and a roll of t he neck from Elliot.

"You're…you're taking that case?" Porter asked. "With Elliot?" he added.

Olivia smirked. "Of course I am," she said with a small scoff. "This kind of shit makes ya famous. And what better way to earn that glory, than with my best friend right there with me?"

Elliot turned, looking at her over his shoulder. "Husband," he said, finally wondering why she hardly called him that. He thought about it; he'd only heard it from her lips a handful of times, and though she defended their marriage, she didn't acknowledge him.

"And partner," she said, nodding at him.

He stood up and turned to face her completely. "And husband," he said again, his nerves starting to grate.

"Yes," she said, looking at him curiously. "You're…"

"Say it," he coached, nudging her with his nose. "Why can't you just say it?" he asked, his voice dropping as his eyes slid closed. He nuzzled her softly. "Say it," he whispered.

She blinked. She forgot that she'd ever been cold because heat washed over her like a waterfall of flames. "Husband," she said, the word sounding and feeling strange as it rolled off of her tongue. She looked into his eyes, open now, and said, "You're my husband."

He nodded. "Till death do us part," he told her.

Porter, annoyed at the display before him, said, "With your next assignment, that could be very soon." He turned to leave the room, but he sighed. Watching that told him something. They had pride, dedication, the need to protect one another, and between them they had a lot of skill and knowledge, and training beyond anyone else's. He closed his eyes, admitting defeat, and shouted, over his shoulder, "You're taking the job. You're the only ones who can."

Olivia turned away from Elliot sharply, stepping toward Porter angrily. "I just told you I…ones?" She questioned, realizing what he said.

Porter looked at her and tilted his head. He asked, very snidely, "Did I stutter?"

**A/N: So can Porter be trusted? And what does Munch do when he finds out one of his theories is not only true, but he'll be sitting in the middle of it? Find out, next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Another covert affair...**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"It's up to you," Elliot said, sipping his coffee as he plopped his feet onto the table in front of him.

Olivia, shaking her head and pacing before him, said, "Not anymore." She glanced at him, looked around the living room, and said, "It's not just up to me anymore."

He put his feet back down on the floor and he leaned forward. "What does that even mean?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "Of course, it's up to…"

"You. The kids. Don't you get it? El, I'm not in this for myself anymore." She stopped pacing and looked at him with folded arms. "An assignment is one thing, running ops is fine, running the entire division? Do you know what we would have to…"

"I know what we would have to do," he said, standing now. "We all went through Quantico at one point. I saw what they do. If this is what you want, then I'm in with you."

She softened her expression. "Don't say that," she told him, walking toward him. When he wrapped his arms around her she sighed. "Don't do this for me if it's not what you really…"

"Honey," he said, cutting her off, "Who, in their right mind, wouldn't wanna be the boss, huh? Look who you're talking to! If I wasn't so sure my father would have killed me, I would have let them rope me into the CIA, or FBI, or other funky organization where my pen is also a nuclear missile."

She laughed and rubbed her forehead against his chest. "They don't really have those," she said.

"I know," he chuckled.

"The missiles are usually in cars," she told him. "Pens are lasers, small caliber guns, or…"

"What?" he questioned, looking at her funny.

She smirked. "We do get some really cool gadgets sometimes." She kissed him and said, "I don't wanna do anything that's going to affect…"

"No matter what we do," he stopped her, "Affects the family. We take the job, we work harder and longer. We don't take the job, you have a black mark on your perfect record and I'm out. What's the better option, here?"

She looked up at him and shrugged. "You tell me," he said.

"We do it," he said firmly. "We can, I think, set our own hours, then, right? Be home at seven, hang out with the kids, leave again at ten when they're in bed…" He shrugged. "Something. You're good at what you do, I'm an adrenaline junkie, this is gonna be a good thing."

She kissed him softly. "If you're sure…"

"I'm positive," he whispered, kissing her with a little bit more force. He sat back on the couch, taking her with him, and just as he managed to work her legs around his waist and get them both riled up, her cell phone rang. "Fuck," he spat, his head dropping back.

She reached over onto the end table and grabbed her phone blindly, as she kept her lips attached to his neck. "Benson," she said.

"Stabler," Elliot grunted, correcting her as he bucked his hips into her.

She moaned softly and nipped at his pulse, trying to listen to the man on the phone. "Right," she said, licking a trail up Elliot's neck. "Yes," she said, kissing softly across his collar to the other side. "No," she hissed, taking his left earlobe into her mouth.

Elliot grumbled something unintelligible, gripping her hips harder. He held her down as he thrust his body, rubbing himself against her. "Hang up," he barked.

She chuckled. "All right," she said to the person on the phone. "Bye." She clicked the call away and tossed her phone to the chair to her right. It landed with a soft plop as Elliot's hands shot to the hem of her shirt.

He pulled, groaning as she raised her arms, and said, "Who was it?"

"Porter," she said, shaking out her hair as he pulled the material away. He fingers twisted his tie off and popped open his buttons.

"What did he want?" he asked, maneuvering his fingers to her waistband and yanking at her slacks.

She raised herself off of him slightly to help him get them down around her hips, and she said, "He wanted to know if we decided to…shit, El," she seethed, feeling him rip her panties off of her. "There was a gentler way to do that."

"Would have taken too long," he mumbled with the flesh of her shoulder in his mouth. He arched his back and slid his pants down, just far enough to make this work, and he positioned her. "What'd you say?" he asked, his tip poking at her entrance playfully.

She smirked. "I told him we would do it," she said, inching down onto him with held breath and opened eyes.

Looking back at her he smirked, letting a groan seep through his partially open lips. "Good," he said. He gripped her waist, pulling her down, getting deeper within her. "So good," he uttered, kissing her.

She dropped her head back. "My God," she breathed, moving with him, "It is."

He cupped the back of her neck and guided her head upright again. "I love you," he told her.

She smirked. He really did, and she knew it. It wasn't an affair anymore, it hadn't been for a while, and it was for life now, whether they planned it or not. "I love you, too," she said, moving in for another kiss.

* * *

"So how exactly is this gonna work?" Elliot asked in a hushed tone, hovering over Olivia's desk.

"We have to get in trouble with Tucker," she said. "Mayor Parker is most likely going to offer us a deal. He makes the offense go away if we join in his little renegade crew."

He sighed. "What are we gonna do?" he asked. "How do we intentionally piss off IAB?"

"That's already been taken…"

"Benson!" Tucker yelled, barreling into the squad room. "Stabler!"

Cassidy laughed. "What did the Wonder Twins do this time?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Elliot glared at the man, then looked back at Tucker. "What did we do, actually?"

Tucker, fuming, pointed his finger right into Elliot's face. "You," he said. "Her?" He snapped his head toward Olivia and then back to Elliot. "Really?"

Elliot's eyes widened. He looked at Olivia, grinning smugly. "What about us?" he asked, swallowing.

"The whole time…shit!" Tucker spat. "How the hell…you two! My office! Now!"

Olivia chuckled and followed Tucker out. Elliot followed her, not entirely sure how much of that was part of Olivia's plan. "Calm down," Olivia whispered, leaning over to him.

They walked, following Tucker, as Elliot tried to take a few deep breaths. They stepped into the elevator and Tucker turned to them. "He's in my office," he said. "He'll make the offer when I step out, he would never do it if he had witnesses. I'm gonna be doing a lot of yelling, and I might bring up something personal, but I'm apologizing for it in advance, so don't fucking punch me, Stabler."

"You're in on this?" Elliot asked, baffled.

Tucker sighed. "I wasn't," he said. "Not until Olivia called me this morning. She told me…things I should have known. I should have noticed. Why didn't I know you two were in the fucking…"

"You don't know that," Olivia interrupted.

"Right," Tucker said. "I don't know anything. All I know is you two have been fucking for over a year…"

"Three," Olivia said. "Even if you're lying, get it right."

Tucker scoffed. "Lucky son of a bitch," he said, nodding at Elliot.

"Damn right I am," Elliot returned with a smirk. He held his breath as the elevator dinged and Tucker led the two detectives down a stark white hallway.

"Arthur," Tucker said, looking at the mayor, perched in a chair in his office. "They're here. Now you make the policy guidelines pretty clear, Sir, and these two shouldn't be…"

"Now, Ed," the mayor said, placating him, "They can't help it. They're together constantly and she is…well, I can't blame Detective Stabler."

"Fraternization is strictly…" Tucker began.

Mayor Parker rose to his feet. "Forbidden. I know. Thank you, Ed." He looked at Elliot, then at Olivia, and he said, "Pity. They're the best team this city has."

"They are," Tucker agreed, "But fucking is not in their job description! The little bitch…"

"Watch it!" Parker snapped. "Have you forgotten to whom you are speaking? I need to talk to them, alone, while you go cool off, Tucker!"

Tucker eyed Elliot, glanced at Olivia, then walked out, hoping the tape recorder he left on his desk was picking everything up.

"Sorry about that," Parker said. "He always was a bit hot-headed."

"I'm used to that," Olivia said, smirking at Elliot.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, don't even compare me to…"

"He's hot-headed and an asshole," Olivia said. "You're not." She looked back at the mayor and sighed. "So one of us has to resign? Transfer?"

Parker shook his head. "No," he said. "In fact, this will all go away. No one will even have to know what this little meeting was about, and I will tell Tucker that he's been misinformed."

"Wow," Elliot said, playing surprised. "Thank you, Sir."

"If," Parker began, "You two do me a few favors." He dug a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Olivia. He smiled and said, "Meet me at this address, after work tonight. I'll explain everything."

Olivia looked down at it. She knew the place. "Sir, what is…"

"Oh, ask Brian to come along. He owes me an explanation on why his last, uh, favor, wasn't done."

"Brian?" Olivia asked, wide-eyed.

Elliot looked at her and said, "Cassidy." He looked back at the mayor and nodded, and he and Olivia left the room.

"Munch is gonna have a conniption if he loses another partner," Olivia said.

Elliot, though, simply smirked. "I finally get to pop that mother fucker."

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, you do." They stepped back into the elevator, knowing the hours would fly by now that they were waiting for their meeting. They knew Cassidy was involved, and they weren't that surprised.

Someone else, though, would surprise them greatly.

**A/N: Who else is in on the Mayor's little plan? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Who has Mayor Parker gotten to work for him that might make Olivia and Elliot falter in this? They're in pretty deep.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

They walked into the warehouse, half-expecting it to be empty, half-expecting them to be walking into some kind of set-up on the other end, or something. However, they walked into a room filled with mismatched chairs, Persian rugs, and other décor items that were taken from police auctions. Things that were seized during drug busts, halted robberies, and repossessed items.

They both scanned the crowd, surprised at some of the faces they were seeing, not surprised at all at others. Brian Cassidy walked in right before them, clearly annoyed they were involved in this now, and he sat down beside someone else.

Some one who really shocked the two of them. Sitting between a young cop and Brian Cassidy, was the tense body and pale face of someone they could have sworn was on their side. Someone they had trusted for years, and someone Olivia had considered a close friend.

"Alex," Olivia whispered under her breath. "Shit."

The blonde lawyer turned her head, and she caught Olivia's eyes. Her own narrowed slightly, and then she smirked and shook her head. She rolled her eyes and leaned back, as if saying, "It's about time you two showed up."

"Just…act like we belong here," Elliot whispered to her.

"You're giving me advice on how to run an op?" she quipped, raising an eyebrow. "That's like telling Pope Benedict how to pray!"

He smirked at her. "Whatever, Benson," he chuckled. "Sit." He gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, forcing her into the nearest couch, and he sat next to her. He let his eyes wander over the crowd of misfit public servants. Fire fighters, lawyers, police officers, and other political officials littered the room. "I never would have guessed some of these people went the way of the rat," he said to her.

She shook her head. "Parker made them an offer they couldn't refuse," she shrugged.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Funny," he mumbled, draping his arm over her shoulder and leaning back. He brought his right foot up, resting it on his left knee, making himself comfortable.

Just then, Olivia sat up straight and stiff. She saw Parker get up and walk over toward Cassidy. The mayor snapped his fingers once and Brian stood, following him. "Check it out."

Elliot nodded, watching as Parker and Cassidy had what seemed to be a very heated conversation. Parker yelled, Cassidy mumbled and hung his head. Parker threatened, and Cassidy cringed in fear. They couldn't hear a thing, but they knew it was not pleasant. "He's getting his ass chewed out over there, huh?"

She nodded, unconsciously leaning into him. His hand slipped from the back of the couch to her shoulder, and then fell lower, running over her arm, down and up. They were so engrossed in what was going on with Cassidy and Parker, that they completely missed Alex walking toward them.

"What the hell are the two of you doing here?" the blonde attorney asked, her arms folded.

Olivia jumped a bit, Elliot practically ripped his arms away from her body as soon as he realized where it was, and they both looked up at Alex. "Nothing," they said together.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Nobody gets dragged into this for nothing. What's up with the two of you, and did I just see you cuddling?"

Olivia cleared her throat. "Well, uh, that's why…"

"Don't look so surprised, Alex," Elliot said, smugly, tugging on his tie. "It;s been going on for years. Tucker just found out about us. Of course, the little dipshit sent off a report to the mayor with a request for a list of department openings in other precincts…"

"He was gonna make one of you transfer?" Alex asked, her eyes widening.

They both nodded, then Olivia spoke. "But Parker came down to talk to us, and instead of making us quit…"

Elliot interrupted. "He made the whole thing go away. Just said we had to do him a favor." He looked at her for minute. "What did you do?"

Alex sat next to Olivia, shoving them both toward the end of the couch. "Leave," she said. "Tell Parker you'll transfer, quit, become a couple of kindergarten teachers, just leave, now. You do not want to the kid of favors he's asking."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "What did you do, Alex?"

The blonde sighed. "Donnelly was gonna suspend my license for that stunt I pulled in the McNamara case."

"What stunt?" Elliot asked, almost angry.

Alex sighed. "The DNA on that third rape…may not have exactly been tested, completely, before the trial…and…"

"You risked the entire case, our jobs, your job, the vic's credibility," Elliot listed, pissed, "On a hunch?"

Olivia elbowed him. "Shut up," she hissed. "Alex, we can get over it, just...how did you get involved with this?"

"Donnelly found out," Alex said. "She said she was gonna have to declare a mistrial, call the both of you in to see if you knew, and I knew Cragen would have killed you for not double-checking. She called the mayor's office and started processing papers for a disciplinary hearing. The next morning, Parker's in my office, willing to make a deal."

"What deal, Alex?" Elliot asked, his voice lower now, calmer.

Alex looked behind her, making sure the mayor was still busy reaming into Cassidy. She turned back and said, "He told me that if I wanted to save my job, and yours, that I had to be here that night at nine-thirty. Just like, I imagine, he told you."

"Okay," Olivia said, eager for more information. "What did he want you to do, though, Alex? What does he want from the people in this room?"

Alex sighed. "Ins," she shrugged. "He wants someone working for him in every major building and politically affiliated office in the city. He wants files, dirt on anyone who has ever opposed him or his policies. He wants…he wants his enemies completely obliterated and he wants the streets cleaned up, but that's only so he can run the drugs and other shit from here."

"He's trying to be the Kingpin, that it?" Elliot asked.

"With you two here now?" Alex scoffed. "He's not trying, he is. You're the best team of cops this city's got. Now that the two most feared detectives in New York are under his thumb, he can't lose." She shook her head. "If you don't leave now, there's no telling what he's gonna make you do. He's asked some of these people to kill for him, and I know some of them have! I can only imagine what he'll ask of you."

The three heads turned, watching Cassidy walk, with a slight limp, back over to his seat. Parker walked back in a few seconds after him and he made his way toward Olivia and Elliot. "You came," he said with a grin.

"Didn't sound like we had much of a choice," Elliot said, sitting up straighter.

The mayor wagged his head back and forth. "You always have choices, Stabler," he said. He nodded at Olivia and said, "Seems you made the right one. I need the two of you to me a favor."

"We knew that," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

"Cheeky," Parker said. "Benson, you are very cheeky."

Elliot grinned. "I like cheeky," he said.

"You would," Parker commented. He slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and said, "This man has been driving me crazy. He knows way too much, and he talks way too freely. I need you two to shut him up. Permanently."

Elliot reached up, took the photo out of the man's hand, and handed it to Olivia without saying anything.

Olivia looked at it and had to suppress the gagging and coughing she so desperately wanted to do. "Um, forgive me, Sir, but isn't he the one that…"

"I can certainly find out who's getting in trouble on my own," Parker said, cutting her off. "And with him out of the way, I can get one of my men…" he glanced at Olivia again, "Or women…to head up that department."

She looked at Elliot, she nodded. "All right," she said. "He was always kind of a pain in our asses anyway."

Elliot blinked once at her, for a moment believing her act, and then he got to his feet. He tugged on his jacket, pulled on his tie, and said, "Consider it done."

The mayor held out his hand, but before it could be shaken, doors on both ends of the warehouse burst open and men in vests, with large guns, walked into the room. Ed Tucker led them, looking pissed off and proud at the same time. Dean Porter and Andy Eckerson were there, too, along with several agents and members of the NYPD that Parker hadn't manipulated. He was surrounded.

Parker looked around nervously, shocked and confused. "What…what the…no one in this city makes a fucking move without…"

"We don't work for the city," Olivia said, bitterness in her voice. "Well, not just the city," she added with a small chuckle.

Parker looked back at her, and he was met with the barrel of her gun at the end of his nose. "Benson, think about what you're doing. This will destroy your career."

"I've thought about it," she said with a smirk. "This just made my career."

Elliot, his gun aimed at the man holding his gun out at Olivia said, "CIA, you're coming with us. All of you,!" He looked around at the group of misfit officials, met Alex's shocked eyes sadly for a moment, then met Brian Cassidy's. A look of triumph graced his face, then, knowing that Cassidy was going down for murder, regardless of whether or not blackmail had been an issue. "Munch!" he yelled, "You wanna start hauling in your own conspiracy, man?"

Munch, walking through the room and grabbing people, chuckled. "My pleasure, Stabler." When he got to Alex, though, he felt horrible. He, like Elliot and Olivia, was wondering what she had done, if it was bad enough to get her into any kind of serious trouble, and if it would mean the end of everything for her.

The answers to the questions were coming, fast and loud, as this case would take several hours to close. He led a group of people out through the doors, praying silently that Cragen took it upon himself to make coffee. It was gonna be a very long night.

**A/N: What did Alex do? Who will handle the interrogations? Will Olivia and Elliot get some time alone after this? And who will Munch's new partner be? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Their secrets are all out, aren't they? **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. The story you are about to read belongs to Tstabler©**

"Alex," Olivia said, running a hand through her hair, "You have to talk. Now."

"Not until you do," the blonde said, peering up at Olivia from the interrogation table. "You and Elliot? How the hell long as that been going on? And the CIA? Are you fucking kidding me? Some friendship we've got, huh?"

Olivia sat, leaning over closely, hoping Elliot wasn't behind the glass. "Alex, it was an affair, okay? That's why no one knew. It's not something I wanted to broadcast to people. As for that second thing, not even Elliot knew. That's huge. Don't feel special, okay? You aren't the first person I've kept secrets from, you won't be the last."

"And you're proud of that fact?" Alex scoffed.

Olivia smirked. "In this line of work, you have to lie to everyone. Even yourself. Now, listen to me, Alex, you have to tell me everything. What did he ask you to do, and did you do it?"

The blonde offered nothing but silence.

"If you don't talk to me, I can't help you," Olivia warned.

Alex sighed and folded her arms. "You can't help me anyway, Detective Benson. Or should I call you Agent Benson."

"Stabler," Olivia mumbled.

"What?" Alex's eyes widened. "Are you…you married him? For the love of God, Olivia!"

Olivia shook her head and tried to get Alex to focus. "If you don't talk to me, Alex, that man is in there talking to John. You know, he's gonna pin a lot of shit on you, and I'm going to be inclined to believe him."

Alex cleared her throat. "It's humiliating, Olivia."

"So's jail," Olivia said, threateningly. "Those orange jumpsuits with your hair? You're gonna look like a fucking sunset."

Alex laughed, offering her friend a smile. "He…he made me…sleep with…"

"Oh, Al," Olivia sighed, her eyes dropping first to the table and then to the floor. She shot them up to the glass window and sighed. "I'm gonna need names."

Alex nodded, reaching for the pen and pad on the table. She flipped through the blank pages and looked up at Olivia. "I'm gonna need more paper."

* * *

"You guys look…well, tired isn't the word." Maureen moved as her father and Olivia walked into the room.

Elliot yawned and took off his jacket, tossing it onto the coat rack. "It was a pretty rough couple of days."

"Understatement," Olivia said through a muffled yawn. She plodded over and kissed Maureen on the forehead. "Where are…"

"Upstairs," Maureen said. "They're sleeping, like normal people. It's three in the morning."

"And you're awake because…" Elliot raised an eyebrow, oblivious to the fact that Olivia had wandered into their bedroom.

Maureen shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Kept having weird dreams."

"You think you can sleep now that we're home?" he asked, looking knowingly at his daughter. She had been worried about them; the news coverage of the latest case had gotten to her.

Maureen nodded and kissed his cheek. "Yeah," she said. She headed upstairs, looking back at her father who was slowly walking toward his bedroom. She sighed in relief as she took her last steps and walked into her room.

"Are you all right?" Elliot asked Olivia as he, too, stepped into his bedroom.

She yawned and shook her head as she walked into the bathroom. She leaned over to turn on the hot water, and said, "Are you?"

He shrugged as he took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. "We're okay, we're safe, and a bunch of assholes are in jail because of us. I'm pretty damn good right now."

She flipped the lever, turning the shower on, and she straightened up. She was slightly stunned when he reached for her, taking her shirt off for her. "El, what are you…"

"I've been watching your body move underneath this suit for the past forty-eight hours," he said with a smirk. "It's finally coming off, and I am more than happy to be the one that peels it off of you." He let her cotton shirt drop to the floor and moved his hands down to her pants, sliding down the zipper and slipping his hands into them and sliding them over her hips.

She laughed as he trailed his hands up her silken skin, moving closer to her. When he was flush against her, she moved her own hands to his chest, shirking the cotton of his opened shirt off of his shoulders. She moved down to his pants, treating them the same as he'd treated hers.

"Someone's eager," he teased, bringing his hands up to her back and unhooking her bra. He let it fall off of her, and he stepped back, looking into her eyes as he slid her panties down. "Two someones actually."

She kicked the silk away and turned, sliding the curtain back. She stepped under the hot spray of the shower and she moaned when she felt his hands on her back, rubbing the tension that lived there away. "So good," she mumbled.

He squeezed harder, rubbing her neck and shoulders. "Relax," he whispered, leaning forward. He drew his hands down and wrapped them around her waist, slipping them down between her legs. "Just relax, baby."

Her head fell forward, dropping against the tiles, and her legs fell open more, letting his hand travel deeper. He slipped his fingers into her and pressed his lips to the back of her neck. "Not helping me relax," she mumbled.

He chuckled, kissed her again, and let his lips trail across her shoulder blades. "Give me a few minutes," he whispered, using one hand to turn her around.

The water fell over them, hitting them hotly as he pressed his body into hers, flattening her against the shower wall. He slanted his lips over hers and moved his hand, replacing it with a more powerful part of his body.

"God, El," she moaned against his lips, feeling him thrust into her.

He grunted and moaned, hitting into her deeply, sliding in and out of her, slick with both hot water and her wetness. "Love you," he said, moving harder. "Love this," he grunted, "With you."

"Love you," she replied, her teeth sinking into his neck. She moaned, the sound muffled by his flesh, as he lifted her legs over his waist and moved even harder, not faster, just harder, burying himself completely with every thrust.

He felt her tensing up, felt her clenching and rippling and vibrating, and she made the sweetest whimpering noises. He moved, bending his head to suck a hot, wet nipple into his mouth. He heard her cry his name as he rolled the beaded skin between his teeth, not stopping his hard pistoning.

She grabbed his head and pulled him away from her chest, drawing his face to meet hers. Her lips met his as a long, low moan passed through her mouth into his.

He grunted loudly, too, as his own body reacted to her approaching climax. He tightened every muscle as he worked to bring her over the edge, and he spilled into her with a soft cry of her name.

"El," she moaned, biting his lips, sucking on them.

He felt her go completely rigid before relaxing against him, and he chuckled. "Got ya to relax," he whispered, kissing her.

She laughed, too, draped over his shoulder. He legs slid back to the floor, returning her to a standing position, and she kissed him, reaching out to grab the shower gel. The water had cooled slightly, but now they needed to pay attention to each other in other ways, really showering together, and crawling into bed.

They wrapped themselves around each other and cuddled together, falling asleep fast. Dreamless, peaceful slumber lasted, for them, for only a few hours.

His phone rang obnoxiously, waking them up, and she reached out a hand to grab it. In her dreamy and exhausted state, she mumbled, "Stabler," into the phone.

"Huh?" Elliot moaned, blinking. "Liv, baby, you…"

"What?" she spat, suddenly awake. "How the hell did that happen?"

Elliot moved, sitting up. "What happened?" he asked, panicking.

She held up a hand. "No, you find him! You find him and you get him back into a cell, Porter! I am, yes!" She snapped the phone shut and shook her head. "Shit."

"What happened, honey?" he asked, watching her get out of the bed.

Olivia turned, standing in front of the closet. "Parker's gone. Someone under his thumb, who wasn't at the meeting, works at Rikers."

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Okay, so we find him. That's not gonna…"

"He's pissed at us," she said, changing into a suit. "We seriously have no clue who he got to, El. Anyone could be working for him. Anyone."

"We already know we can't trust anyone," he said, slipping out of the bed and walking over to her. "No one but each other."

She kissed him and tossed him a tie. "Let's go prove that, shall we?"

He smirked and asked, "Can I get one of those laser pens?"

She chuckled. "Oh, we are definitely getting gadgets for this one, baby."

"I feel like Brad Pitt in Mister and Misses Smith," he said, dressing.

She turned. "I am way hotter than Angelina Jolie," she said, winking at him. "And I'm a much better shot."

"I agree with both of those statements," he said, pulling up his pants. "You ready?"

She nodded and smirked. "I was born ready."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, you're right, that does sound really stupid." He took her hand and pulled her out of their room, out of their house, and into the car. Another day on the job, he thought, but as long as it was with her, he could work forever.

Something, though, would keep them out of commission for a while. Something unexpected, but welcome, that would keep them safe. At least, for a while.

**A/N: What happened? What is going to happen? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hmmm…it's funny what some people will do when they are pretending to be someone else….**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

The drive had been long, the hotel they had checked into seemed like something out of _Psycho_, and their dinner had been greasy, leaving nice stains on the paper bag it came in. They showered, dressed, and were moments away from "playing the part" as Elliot began calling it.

"You're sure this is where he is?" he asked, struggling with his tie. His hands were shaking.

She turned, seeing him battle with the silk strip in the mirror, and tied it for him. "Surveillance says he is, El," she said.

"Why the hell did he come all the way out here?" he asked, his blood rushing to other parts of his body fast, thanks to her close proximity.

She smirked. "If you pissed off every politician, cop, and lawyer in New York City, you'd get the hell of there, too."

"Uh, we've done that, at least twice," he joked. "We're still very much living in New York."

She rolled her eyes and gave his tie a final tug. "You look good," she said, giving him a once over.

He smirked. "You look better," he said with a wink. "So, make sure I've got this right, okay? We're here visiting your parents on our way to niagra falls for our honeymoon, they have a small house so we had to stay in a hotel. We're thinking of moving to the city because I'm a stock broker and business in, uh, where are we from?"

"Georgia," she said in an eerily convincing accent.

"Right, Georgia," he said, followed by a hum and a slight cough. "You, uh…that dress is…not…what's with the wig and the…short dress."

She laughed to herself, finding it funny that she had the power to incapacitate him by wearing a short dress and killer heels, when men twice his size couldn't even make him flinch. "Part of the job, sugar. Now, you be a doll and put on that there hat, honey. Don't forget your sunglasses, baby, it's bright out there."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "You've never lived in Georgia, right? Damn, you are…"

"Good," she said, winking at him. "A few other things I'm good at, too, darlin,' promise ya that."

He shook his head and asked, "Could you be good at them in something a little less…I mean, not that you don't look incredible, but everyone's gonna be looking…"

"I know where they're gonna be looking," she said, sounding like herself again. "Right into the camera." She flicked the little pin on her dress, settled right beside a plunging neckline, and she said, "We've got six agents in the van outside, ready to come in and take over if they see him on the…"

"That's not…that's not on, yet, is it?" He asked the question as he bit his lip.

She shook her head. "No, why?"

He reached for her, grabbed her roughly, pulling her toward him. He narrowed his eyes and turned their bodies, slamming her into the wall. He kissed her hard and fast as one of his hands slid under the hem of the short, purple dress. "Because it would really suck to have someone watching us again," he mumbled as he kissed her.

She chuckled evilly, pushing him off of her. "We have work to do, El. I promise, we can definitely play as soon as we catch this asshole."

He smirked, kissed her once more, and said, trying to mimic her southern drawl, "Well, let's get to catchin' him then."

"Not bad, baby," she said approvingly.

He tipped his hat. "Thank you, ma'am," he said with a grin.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned her head over her shoulder. "Don't call me ma'am," she warned, leaving the room.

He chuckled. That was his partner, all right. Beneath the blonde wig and revealing dress, she was still his bad-ass partner. He chuckled to himself as he followed her, wondering what other tricks she had up her sleeve.

* * *

They were in the small dining room of their hotel, flirting with each other, acting like a southern newlywed couple, the whole time talking about people they were seeing. People who looked familiar, and as if they were up to something. "Oh, boy," she said softly, averting her eyes from the man at whom she'd been looking. "He's here."

Elliot flicked his eyes to the left, looking into the mirrors of his sunglasses. "Shit," he spat. "He's coming over here," he said, scooting closer to her, grabbing her, and kissing her roughly. He pulled her onto his lap, tilted her body just enough to let the camera get a good angle of the room, and deepened the kiss.

They heard him whistle and chuckle, make a comment about Olivia's body, then walk away. He hadn't recognized them, but Olivia got him on camera.

Elliot knew he was gone, but he smirked, taking a chance and running his hand up and down her leg. He moaned softly, then chuckled when she hit him in the back of the head. "Sorry," he laughed. "Got a little carried away."

She narrowed her eyes, ran a hand through her fake hair, and straightened out her dress. "Why do you think I hit you? She asked with a smirk. "You were carrying me right along with you." She rose from her seat and headed in Parker's direction.

Elliot followed a few feet behind her, knowing what she had to do to get the guy. He didn't like it, but he accepted it. He watched as Olivia strode up to the bar, next to Parker, and asked the bartender in her southern drawl, "Sugar, can I have a dirty martini? Very dirty." She winked at him, making him blush.

Parker, on the stool beside her, a gleam in his eyes, said, "You're not from around here."

"What gave it away?" she asked, shooting him a furtive glance.

He chuckled. "How long have you and that lucky bastard been married?" he asked, grazing a hand over hers as she reached for her drink.

She eyes him for a moment, then said, "What makes you think we're married?"

"You're all over each other, that rock on your hand is pretty hard to miss, and you're staying in the honeymoon suite, aren't you?"

"You a detective or somethin,' sugar?" she asked, smirking.

He shrugged. "I've got great observational skills," he said, sliding his hand up her arm.

She narrowed her eyes at him, then slowly touched his hand. "Do you, now?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, nodding. "And I can see, clearly, that you need someone important in your life. You are the kind of woman that needs to be on the arm of a politician."

"You're a politician?" she asked, feigning interest.

He laughed and shook his head. "Better than that. I have files, information on every hot shot in the good old state of New York, and you are just the perfect woman to help me make use of all of that dirt." He slid his other hand down her leg and teased her knee. "You could make any man do anything, couldn't you?"

"Maybe," she said, smirking again as she took a much-needed sip of her drink. "I got Lou out there wrapped around my little finger, and it only took two weeks."

"Oh, Jesus, that guy?" he scoffed. "You can do better, sweetcheeks. You need a real man, honey." He leaned over and whispered, "I can show you what it's like to fuck a real man."

She grinned, rose of her stool, and pulled him by the hand toward the bathroom.

"Where are we going?" Parker asked, chuckling.

"You're gonna prove that," she said over her shoulder, her smirk crooking more as she saw Elliot tailing them.

He groaned as he slammed his body into hers, pressing her up against the bathroom door. "You bet your sweet ass I am," he mumbled, his slimy lips grazing over the skin between her breasts.

"Not if I can help it," an irritated and gravelly voice behind him declared.

Parker swallowed, then turned around, meeting the barrel of Elliot's gun. "Don't do anything foolish now," he said. "I can…I can make you rich. Famous." He felt something digging into his back, then, and he looked over his shoulder. The blonde was now a brunette, and he recognized her instantly. "Benson?"

"Stabler," she snarled, cocking the trigger.

Parker scoffed. "Is that who that is?" he asked, jerking his head toward Elliot, still in his hat and glasses.

"No," Olivia answered. "It's who I am. Hands off of me and on your head, Parker. Now!"

Parker chuckled, raising his hands. "You both know I'm just gonna walk right out of here, right? You can't hold me, Benson. You can't keep me in jail. Too many dumbass guards and crooked cops owe me too many favors."

"Did you get all of that?" Olivia asked, tilting her head down a bit. She grinned as a voice from her earpiece declared, "Loud and clear, Olivia."

"You…you're wearing a…where the hell did you put a wire in that dress?" Parker asked, stunned as Elliot yanked his arms down behind his back.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she quipped.

Elliot pulled back hard on the cuffs and hissed, "I know where it is." He let a low, cocky laugh escape his lips as he shoved Parker back down the hallway, into the living room, where several agents from the FBI and CIA were waiting for him.

Olivia looked at Andy, nodding once as she held out her right hand, a USB hard drive in her hands. "You might need this."

Parker's eyes widened. "You little…how the hell did you…"

"I wasn't feeling you up, Parker, I was searching your pockets," she informed him. She looked back at Andy and handed him the small camera pin. "Guaranteed, that's the list of all of his minions and what they owe him."

Andy nodded. "You were great, Olivia." He narrowed his eyes and sighed. "You, too, Stabler."

Olivia smirked. "Thanks," she said. "Couldn't have done it without you guys, though. You watched him, knew where he was…"

"But the two of you knew how to get him," Andy said. "It's an honor working with you two." He grabbed Parker and left with his team.

Olivia sighed and shuddered. "I need a shower," she said, eyeing Elliot.

Elliot tipped his hat. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Then she smirked and added, "Sugar," with a hint of southern charm.

He laughed and pulled her into his arms, taking off his sunglasses. "We really do make an incredible team."

She nodded, smiling at him, and then she took his hand. "Ya know, we, uh, we can kind of make our own rules now."

He smirked at her as she led him toward the elevator. "What kind of rules?"

"When we stay, when we go, when we work, when we don't," she listed and wagged her head side-to-side. "When to take a vacation…"

"Oh, you really are my dream girl," he said, stepping into the lift with her. "Where do you wanna go?" he asked, trailing his lips lightly over hers, trying to erase the memory of Parker's hands on her body.

"Anywhere you wanna take me," she teased, pulling him closer. "I can work things out to give us a week, SVU and the agency, but you…"

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I think we need a vacation. Desperately."

She tilted her head and whispered, "Somewhere beachy."

"Somewhere hot," he murmured, sucking on her neck. "Somewhere tropical, right? Maybe Aruba?"

She knew what he was getting at, it was the same point she was trying to drive home. He knew. He had gotten the email, too, and was ready and willing to dive into this with her. "You really love me, don't you?" she asked.

"More than anything," he told her. "If you wanna do it, I'm with you." He kissed her slowly for a moment. "Any excuse to see you in a bikini is enough for me, but if we're getting paid on top of it? Bonus."

She cupped his face and looked into his eyes. "El," she whispered, nuzzling his nose and brushing over his lips lightly with hers, "I love you."

He chuckled and pulled her head toward him, forcing her into a deep kiss. He knew the elevator had stopped long ago, he knew the doors opened and then closed again, and he knew there was a very concerned gentleman next to them now. He didn't care. He turned, moving her up against the wall, still kissing her, and slid his hands up her dress. He pulled on the radio, wrapping the mic and wire around it as he mumbled, "They don't need to listen to this."

She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her up, carrying her off the elevator as it opened on their floor again. He held onto her as he walked, his lips against hers, to their room, and she moaned lightly when he skillfully slid the card key down the lock, letting them in without letting her go.

They were perfect together, she thought, and any traces of doubt she had disappeared. She knew he never had doubts to begin with, he would do anything with her, anything for her. She pondered this for a second and she smiled. "El," she moaned, softly into his ear. "Do you want a promotion?"

He raised an eyebrow. A grin slowly spread across his face, and he tossed her onto the bed, then crawled on top of her. It was enough of an answer for her, but the conversation would come later. Actions, she always thought, speak much louder than words.

**A/N: So…what promotion? Who are they taking down now? And a lust/love-filled vacation, with a side of crime fighting, coming at ya. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Undercover…under the covers…isn't all the same thing? **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. The story you are about to read belongs to Tstabler©**

The flight was long, the landing was longer. Olivia hated to fly had to keep herself busy so she wouldn't look out of the window. She gave in after a while and slept, on Elliot's shoulder, and tried not to think of where they were going and why.

When he woke her up, as soon as they landed, he smiled. She looked so groggy, but so beautiful. He kissed her without saying anything, watched her eyes brighten as she woke fully, and he chuckled. "You're adorable," he said, loving how she attempted to suppress a yawn.

"I try," she joked, rubbing a hand down her face.

"You succeed," he whispered, kissing her again.

They deplaned, waited for their luggage, and made it through the security line. He took her hand and held it tightly as they waited for a shuttle. He noticed she was looking around, her eyes darting from place to place, the smile on her face growing. "What is it?" he asked.

"Honeymoon," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, his eyes crushing together.

She looked at him and grinned. "We never got one," she said. "We should use this. It's so beautiful here. The air is so…"

"Clean," he finished with a nod. "And warm with the perfect breeze. You're right. We should get this over with fast, use the rest of the time for ourselves."

She kissed him just as the shuttle pulled up. He pulled her onto the bus, and he held her close in their seat, watching carefully as a young man in a white uniform loaded their bags onto the tram.

They rode, sharing soft whispers and sweet kisses, toward their hotel. He kept running his finger over her ring, thankful she hadn't decided to run away from it all, thankful she knew it was a mistake but didn't care enough to fix it.

She saw what he was doing and she dropped her other hand over his. "I know what you're thinking," she whispered.

He raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

"I'm happy." She leaned over and kissed him, letting her lips linger on his for a moment longer than necessary. "I love you."

"That's why you're not mad at me," he said, clearing his throat.

The shuttle stopped and he rose, pulling her up, too, and she was still confused as to why she should be at him as he led her off the bus. He took the bags from the kid in the uniform, gave him a few dollars, and looked back toward Olivia. "You didn't check your e-mail yet," he said, tilting his head.

She raised one eyebrow, following him down the sandy street toward their resort. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, tapped a few icons, and she gasped. "What the hell were you thinking?" she asked.

"Hey," he said, walking into the hotel doors, "You're the one who put me in charge. You should have expected this." His smirk was deadly and his eyes gleamed.

She shook her phone at him and asked, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," he said, handing the desk clerk his ID, "That we could use this, Liv. You said it yourself fifteen minutes ago. Without a case, the whole week could be a very late honeymoon." He turned toward the man and said, "Stabler. Honeymoon Suite."

"Yes, sir," the man said, nodding and typing rapidly into the computer.

She shook her head and squinted at him. "You…how did you even…"

"You're a heavy sleeper, we have free long distance, and someone in the local branch owed me a favor." He winked at her. "We got the guy without having to do much of anything, the case is closed, and we still have the week off to spend in Hawaii." He kissed her and said, "Enjoy it, baby."

She sighed and saw the pure love and joy in his eyes. "El," she whispered, "You should have told me."

He turned toward the desk clerk again, taking the two card keys and his license back. He nodded at the man and took Olivia's hand as the bellhop grabbed their bags. "I know, but I wanted to surprise you." They stepped into the elevator, hands clasped together, and he said, "I wanted to prove to you that this is more than a partnership, more than an affair, that this isn't just two people who found comfort between the sheets because they work together." He saw her eyes widen and he smirked. "And because I still owe you for breaking that mirror."

She let herself laugh, and she sighed again. "It's always been more than that, and the mirror…God, I forgot about that."

He kissed her, ignoring the man with their luggage, and he said, "I didn't. I remember everything about that night. Arrested one of my best friends, pissed off Trevor, how can you forget that?"

"Oh, I remember most if it," she laughed. "Just…kind of blocked out you breaking the mirror. Ya know, that's supposed to be seven years bad luck."

Elliot laughed. "Right," he said, following their bag-boy off of the lift. "After that, you told me you loved me, we accidentally got married, we have an amazing relationship with my kids, and I have the best job in the world. Bad luck, my ass."

She chuckled as she swiped the card down the slitted lock, and she pushed open the door. She gasped, stepping inside. "Elliot," she said, his name sounding like a prayer. "Look at this place!"

He just laughed and tipped the bellhop. "I know," he said, closing the door. He kicked the bags to the side, walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist as tight as he could. "Look at that view," he said, walking with her over to the large window.

"This is…this is so…" she shook her head, unable to find the words, and rested her arms on his, holding onto him as she leaned her head back into him.

"So much better than an undercover op," he said, kissing her neck.

"Yeah," she whispered, nodding. She turned around and moved her arms up his body to around his neck. "Do you know…when you were still with Kathy, and we were…"

"I remember," he said, cutting her off. He kissed her neck and nibbled, making her moan. "What about it?"

She moaned again, reacting to his teeth grazing her skin. "When I refused to let you tell me...when I wouldn't let you say…"

"I love you," he said, kissing across her collar bone. "Yeah?"

"It wasn't because I didn't love you, you know that." She cupped his face, pulling him away from her neck. "You know why," she told him, holding his gaze. "But now…now I can't…I love hearing you say it."

"I love you," he whispered, his lips curling into a smirk. "I love you, Misses Stabler, more than anything."

She kissed him, pulling his face toward hers, moaning lightly as he pressed on, deepening the kiss. He moved forward, tugging on his shirt. She pulled away from him to let him take it off, running her hands down his chest.

He licked his lips, sliding her loose-fitting jeans over her hips and yanking them off of her feet. "This never gets old," he said, gritting his teeth. He moved his hands back up her legs, trickling over her thighs. "No matter how many times I undress you, it just never loses its excitement. Its importance."

She yanked lightly on his belt, pulling him toward her and unbuckled it just as he pushed up her shirt. She shoved the pants down and laughed when he kicked them off.

He bent his head to pepper her stomach with light kisses and slick licks. He slowly peeled the silk of her bra and panties away from her skin, kissing each bit of newly revealed skin.

She moaned softly, murmuring his name as he traveled down her body, licking and kissing and telling her he loved her.

"I love you," he said, his mouth pressed against her inner thigh, and he moved his head, facing her slit, his grin wicked and his eyes twinkling. He moved in, running his tongue up and down, then nibbling and biting, sucking on her swelling clit.

"Oh, God, El," she cried, her hands gripping the sheets, balling the fabric up in her fists as she felt her orgasm running through her.

He chuckled against her flesh, and he moved one hand toward her slick center, pushing a finger into her as his tongue flicked against her clit. "Come on, Liv," he prodded.

Her eyes squeezed shut and her back arched, but she shook her head. "Want you," she said, opening her eyes to look at him.

He pulled his hand away and stopped gnawing at her, and he licked his lips as he crawled up her body. He shed his boxers quickly and draped himself over her. "You sure you're up to this? You don't have jet lag or anything?"

Her answer was a smirk, a raised eyebrow, and a kiss. He thrust into her with a groan, fighting with her mouth for dominance.

For now, they were simply them, enjoying each other, enjoying their time away from two very demanding, very different jobs, away from the people they couldn't trust.

Soon, though, they would realize there was just no escaping it all. No matter how hard they tried.

**A/N: What has followed them to the island? Will it interfere with their vacation? And a phone call home makes them worry about the kids. Why? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Sometimes I feel like…somebody's watching me…**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

She woke up sore, and a smile spread across her face as her eyes opened. It had been a while since she woke up in the delicious pain caused by a full night of being completely at Elliot's mercy. She shifted, only an inch, and she chuckled when her inner thigh cramped up. It was a good feeling; it meant she had been thoroughly loved, in many ways.

She moved again, this time regretting it as the pain in her lower back spiked. She let out a painful moan, which alerted Elliot to her state of consciousness.

"Morning," he whispered, rolling over onto his side. He draped an arm around her and pressed several soft kisses to her back and neck. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, looking over her shoulder at him. "Are you?"

He smirked. "Are you kidding?" he joked. His eyes narrowed a bit and he said, "I'm sorry about last night. I got a little too rough, I know that, and…"

"Did you hear me complaining?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, moving his hand lower. His fingers dipped into the smooth crevice between her thighs, and he chuckled, running his digits up and down her folds, still wet from the night. "No, I didn't."

She let out a soft sigh, relaxing into his touch, falling a little deeper into him. "And you never will," she whispered.

He grinned, stroking her folds. "You can, ya know. You can complain, if you want."

She shook her head and arched her back slightly as he pressed his fingers into her, seething as the pressure hit. "I'll never want to," she said, her eyes meeting his.

He moved his fingers slowly, aware of her sensitivity, and he dropped his head, pressing his lips to her lightly. "Good," he whispered. "Because I don't have any intentions of letting you out of this bed this week."

She chuckled, and then she moaned in response to the feelings he was stirring up. "El," she said, almost silent.

"Yeah?" he questioned. He moved his hand a little faster, his breath quickening as he tried to control the urge to take her completely.

"Oh, God, El," she moaned, her head turning to her right and flopping lazily back onto the pillow. "We should…"

"We should just enjoy this," he said, interrupting her. He hooked his fingers and tugged, bringing her closer to him, and he looped himself around her, sliding on top of her. He moved his fingers and gave his already rigid length a single stroke.

She blinked up at him with her doe-like eyes, and she briefly wondered if her body could take it. He kissed her, gave a gentle thrust, and he moaned into her mouth. The pain was extreme, but brief, and she gripped his shoulders as she whined into their kiss.

"All right?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes.

She nodded and kissed him, her hands sliding up his back to tangle in his hair. "Perfect," she said to him, a drugged smile on her face.

He chuckled and began to move, slow and easy, ensuring that their first morning in paradise was just as wonderful as their first night had been.

* * *

They'd stayed in bed, enjoying each other thoroughly, until noon. Elliot called the hotel's room service, took a quick shower with Olivia, and wrapped her and himself in the soft robes they were provided.

Their food came, and Olivia propped herself up on her elbows, waiting for Elliot to bring the tray back into the bed. She noticed, then, that something had caught his attention out of their window. She tilted her head and watched as he stared out and sipped his coffee. "I doubt anything out there is more exciting than me," she joked, attempting to get his attention.

Elliot jutted his coffee mug in the direction of his gaze. "That car has been there since we checked in," he said. "Odd, ya know? Jeep parked on the beach overnight, by now a patrol car should have asked them to leave."

Olivia slid out of the bed and walked, as best she could, over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and looked out at the sandy shore. "You think something's up?"

"I think we're being watched," he said, nodding. "I caught the driver staring at something over here with a pair of binoculars, Liv. Call me paranoid, but I think it was us."

Olivia kissed his bare shoulder. "You're paranoid."

"I don't think so," he said, putting his coffee down on the tray and turning around to look at her. "Stay here," he said, moving her aside. He slipped on a pair of black sandals, and he threw on a tropical shirt. "I'll be right back."

"You are not going out there," she said, folding her arms.

"I'll only be a second," he said. "I have a hunch, here, and I wanna see if I'm right." He walked back to her, kissed her, and left the room, feeling guilty for not including her in this, but if someone was watching them, it could only mean they were watching _her._

Olivia watched for him; her eyes never left the jeep as nerves were tangling her entire body in knots. She saw him walking toward the car, and her heart gave a hard thud, and when the man got out of the vehicle, and stepped up toward Elliot, she held her breath.

Elliot folded his arms, never a good sign, and she couldn't make out what he was saying, only that he wasn't happy. She watched as Elliot leaned into the guy, said something with a snarl on his face, and gave the man a poke in the chest.

The man, whom she didn't recognize, shoved Elliot back, a mistake if there ever was one, but something she didn't expect happened. Elliot got to his feet, brushed himself off, and made one last verbal threat before walking away.

He walked away. She saw him walk away from a fight. That had never happened before, and she didn't know if it scared her or made her proud. She narrowed her eyes at the man, getting back into the jeep, and she tilted her head as it pulled away, off the beach.

She walked over to the silver tray, lifted it, and brought it over to the bed. She sighed as she sat on the mattress, and she kept her gaze on the door, waiting for Elliot to walk through.

"Son of a bitch," he spat, bursting into the room a moment later.

"Who was that?" she asked, twirling a grape around in her hand. "El?"

Elliot shook his head, tossed off his flowered shirt, and dropped his sandy pants. "Protective watch," he hissed. "Apparently, someone called Cragen, threatening us. He hired local cops to watch us so we wouldn't have to worry about anything. He sends his love and said to call him if we need to." He crawled into the bed, shook his head, and grabbed the grape out of her hands. He held it up to her lips and watched her open her mouth slightly before popping it onto her tongue. "It was Franco's brother."

"Franco? The guy we were supposed to be…"

"Yeah." Elliot popped a grape into his own mouth. "The guys got him yesterday, you and I had nothing to do with it, and we're still the fucking targets for revenge."

"It was our case," Olivia said, picking up a strawberry. "You ran the op, El, whether you were here in person or not." She narrowed her eyes and bit down on the berry. "Why would Cragen have us followed? Why wouldn't he just call and warn us?"

Elliot shrugged and took her strawberry, biting it. "Guess he didn't want to scare us, or worry us. He thought we were in enough danger running an op alone out here."

"You didn't tell him you closed the case?" she asked, surprised.

"Why would I?" he asked. "It's none of his business, Liv."

Olivia squinted. "He thinks we're out here, working, knowing someone related to the case just threatened us? El, what would he do if this was a case with the unit, and this happened?"

"Bring us home," he said, reaching for a slice of pineapple. "Lock us in the squad room."

"So why is he practically giving us his blessing?" she asked.

Elliot tilted his head. "You don't honestly think he's setting us up. Do you?"

"You're the captain of a voluntary unit, you're two best detectives are breaking every rule in the book and working clandestinely for a government agency that's given you nothing but problems for most of your career," she said, folding her arms. "You've been playing with them for almost a year, and you've managed to skitter out from every bit of trouble you got into with them. They're about to blow open a high profile case, making national headlines, drawing attention to you, your squad, and the rival agency. What do you do?"

He tossed the bitten fruit back into the bowl and he sighed. "Shit." He looked at her. "Have we just been really stupid, or was there a reason we just always believed him?"

Olivia shrugged and picked up Elliot's half-eaten slice of pineapple. She bit it and said, "We didn't wanna be right, El. It's…it's Cragen." She ran a hand through her hair and said, "Are you surprised?"

Elliot took a moment, then he looked at her as he honestly answered. "No."

**A/N: Confronting Cragen for the last time, after someone watches them a little too closely! Conclusion is coming up….soon. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: What do you do when you realize you can't trust one of the only people you've ever really confided in? **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Hey," he whispered, trailing his lips over hers. "Baby," he murmured again, his hands sliding over her stomach.

She moaned softly, turning over slightly, not loving the interruption. She was having an amazing dream. He was with her, and his hands and lips were doing incredible things to her. She didn't want to wake up. Not at all.

"Honey," his voice teased again. His fingers skidded over her thighs, down her legs, raising goosebumps.

One eye opened, another soft moan escaped, she realized she wasn't dreaming. "Morning," she uttered, a smile crossing her face.

"Not yet," he said, grinning smugly.

"What time is it?" she asked as her fingers scratched through his hair.

He moaned as he licked a long swipe up her neck. "Almost three," he said, lowering his lips, finding new skin to explore, raising new goosebumps. "I woke up with this…incredible craving."

"For this?" she mumbled, her eyes rolling back in pleasure as he nibbled at her flesh.

"No," he said. "For chocolate, but we ate it all. This comes in a very close second, though," he teased, moving lower still.

She bit down on her lip, trying to stay quiet, and she raised an eyebrow, questioning him.

"I'm kidding," he told her. "I woke up and wanted you, baby. Just you."

She reached down and slipped her hand into his, holding it tightly as his tongue explored her body. She had a brief flash of the first time he had loved her like this, in her apartment, years ago, after several drinks and a lot of greasy food. She rolled her head to the side and remembered feeling everything and nothing all at once, loving and hating it because it was so wrong and so right.

As she opened her eyes and met his hazy, drugged eyes, she realized it felt the same. Just as powerful, just as intense, just as confusing but just as perfect. The fingers on her free hand skimmed up his back, over his neck, wound into his hair, and she whispered, "Good Lord, El."

He chuckled, the vibrations of his voice sending more shivers throughout her body. "The way you taste…" he grumbled, then grunted, forgoing the rest of his words for actions.

She arched her back as he licked her deeper, she felt his fingertips digging into her flesh as he lavished her with attention, making her cry out his name. She pulled her hand out of his and grabbed the corner of her pillow, pulling and twisting until she had it wedged in her mouth, silencing her cries.

He looked up at her, and as he licked and sucked, he tore the pillow out of her mouth. "Let it all go, baby," he demanded. "I want to hear every sound you make."

She shook her head, biting her lip. Her hips rolled almost violently as he latched onto her clit, sucking hard. "Jesus, Elliot," she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're in a fighting mood, aren't you?" he teased, smirking. He dropped his lips again, flicking his tongue over her clit faster, attempting to drive her insane, knowing he was doing a good job of it.

She felt it rush through her fast, overcoming her. She let a string of curses fly, she twisted his hair in her hand, and she moaned his name over and over until she stopped shaking. By that time, though, he was up, on top of her, inside of her, bringing on a second earth-shattering climax.

He grabbed her wrists, twisted them in one of his hands, and lifted them over her head, making her back arch even more than it was. "God," he breathed. "I love you."

She smiled at him as she moaned back an, "I love you, too."

They were blissfully unaware of their audience, sitting on a blanket on the beach, a pair of binoculars in his hand. He wasn't keeping his eyes only on them, though he hated to admit it was hard to look away. He was looking out for someone else, someone Elliot had told him to watch for, keeping them safe while they made the most of their trip.

He was looking for Cragen. Satisfied that there was no sign of him so far, he turned his attention back to the window, and he grinned. They were truly fascinating, he thought.

* * *

They'd somehow fallen deeper into the mattress, a while later, with her draped over him, and they laughed. A real, honest laugh. "Wow," he whispered, brushing her hair back as she nuzzled into his sweaty, heaving chest.

She hummed and nodded. "You said it," she whispered, licking her lips and trying to catch her breath.

He kissed her forehead and sighed. "I was thinking…"

"Uh-oh," she interrupted, joking.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Not about work," he said. "I was thinking, ya know, in a couple of months, maybe we should get married."

She propped herself up on her elbows and peered down at him, her body glistening with a sheen of perspiration caused by their intense sex moments before. "Did you hit your head on the bed or something?"

"I'm being serious, Liv," he said, staring up at her. "You flipped out when you found out the chance for a real wedding was ripped away from you…"

"Yeah," she broke in, "And I got over it. What we said that night, I may have been acting, but I…I wasn't. Everything I said, I said it to you. For you. I meant it." She ran her hand through her hair as she sat up. "You said it all back, and I saw it in your eyes, you meant it, too. So why would we need to go through it all again? That was as real as I needed it to be."

He raised an eyebrow, something was bothering her about it all, but he gave in. "All right," he said. "It was just a thought."

She exhaled, settled back in beside him, and said, "I'm happy, El. With the way things are now, the way things worked out, I'm happy."

He turned over and kissed her. "Me, too, baby. I just thought you'd want…"

"When I want something, I'll let you know," she told him with a smirk. She had just leaned her head up to kiss him when they heard the glass shatter.

They leaped out of the bed and dropped to the floor, feeling rather silly they were doing it all naked. "What the hell is happening?" she asked, over the sound of gunshots and more shattering glass.

Elliot crawled, low to the ground, over to his discarded pants. He pulled them on as fast as he could and grabbed his gun, and he ran over to the side of the room, peeking his head out from behind the curtain to look through the broken window. He saw the man he'd called, firing to his left. He watched the same man dodging bullets and he moved when one came flying through the window. "Shit," he hissed.

Olivia, now standing up, in her robe, with her own gun, was facing him from across the room against the wall. "What? What the hell…"

"Dean is out there. He's probably firing at Cragen, who's firing at us," he told her, exhaling.

"Dean?" Olivia questioned. "El, why would you…"

"Because we needed a backup plan, here, Liv!" he yelled. "I called Dean, told him your theory of Cragen setting us up, he believed me. He said that Cragen left the precinct almost as soon as we did." He moved fast, over to her, grabbing her and pulling her toward the door. "Andy did a phone dump, baby. There was never any phone call, never any threat."

She realized something, and her heart broke. "So the only way Cragen would have known about Franco, was if…"

"If he was in on it," Elliot finished, nodding. He pulled her out of the door, into the hallway, and led her up to the roof as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Cragen was Franco's inside man, the one who was stalling the case, making sure we were too busy with other things to handle it. When it went federal, and we got it anyway, he knew he was screwed."

"Franco called him," Olivia said, putting it together. "His one phone call when they took him in was to Cragen, probably asking him to make it go away."

"The only way to make it go away is to make us go away," Elliot said, pushing open the door to the roof. He threw her his phone and said, "Call Grant."

She raised an eyebrow. "There's no way he can land on this…"

"We don't have a choice, Liv!" he yelled. "We try to get out of here on foot and we're dead! You don't know how many people Cragen took with him."

She sighed and dialed. "I guess he can…hover. I'll call Marshall, too. Tell him to go get the rest of our stuff once the coast is clear."

Elliot smirked as she raised the phone to her ear. "I don't think you should bother getting your clothes."

She chuckled. "Only you would think about sex at a time like this," she chided.

"As long as you're wearing that flimsy piece of silk, baby, it's all I can think about." He kissed her, grabbed her hand, and said, "We're gonna be okay."

She nodded, dropped her head to his shoulder, and spoke into the phone. "Grant? Stabler. What do you mean which one? Who does it sound like?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head, saying, "We need you to get here as fast as you can, with the helicop…yeah, how did you know?"

She looked up, saw the chopper zooming closer, and she let out a soft laugh. "Sometimes being watched has its advantages."

**A/N: The takedown of a lifetime, it changes everything. Elliot lets his rage get the best of him, and he may take it out on the worst possible person. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Confronting Cragen for the last time, the only way they know how.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"Can you see anything?" Olivia asked, trying to see through the windshield herself. The pouring rain made it hard, and the wipers weren't swiping fast enough to give them a long, clear visual.

"I see a lot of water, and two pieces of shit waving back and forth doing nothing," he snapped, sipping from a coffee cup. "You sure Andy made that call?"

She hummed. "You should have told me you put Dean out on that beach," she said, bringing her own cup to her lips. "It would have changed things if I knew he was watching."

"Why do you think I didn't tell you?" he asked, his voice cold, metallic.

She smirked. "I would have rocked your world a little bit harder, El," she said, raising an eyebrow."

He looked at her, dropping his cup into the cup holder. "You…what?"

"I've made it my goal in life to make that arrogant asshole incredibly jealous of you," she said, winking. She turned her head back toward the windshield and thought she saw Cragen getting out of a car. "El," she whispered, leaning forward.

Elliot picked up a walkie-talkie. "Andy, we have a visual," he said. "I think."

"Yeah," Andy's voice called back. "It's him. You sure this is how you want this to go down?"

"Absolutely," Elliot said. "Liv and I will deal with him in an interrogation room, but I can't…I can't be the one that…"

"I got ya, Stabler," Andy said. "Pull into the driveway and watch the show."

Elliot sighed, dropping the radio, and pulled the car up, turning into a driveway across the street from the building in which Cragen had just run.

"I'm surprised Franco cooperated," Olivia said, running a hand down her face.

"Shit," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I'm surprised Cragen got on the first plane back to New York after getting that phone call."

She chuckled. "You set this all up on the helicopter, you had this all worked out in twenty minutes. That's…"

"That's what I learned from you," he said, smiling. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done."

She smiled at him, then took a deep breath as she turned on the car radio. "I can't believe…"

"Me either," he said, grabbing her hand. "We've got each other, though. And I know you'll never let me down."

She squeezed his hand and closed her eyes, listening to the men inside arrest the man she once considered a father. She was relieved she hadn't heard gunshots, which annoyed her, since he had no problem firing at her the night before. She opened her eyes and saw him being led out of the building in cuffs, and she grimaced.

"Liv," Elliot's voice rang through her ears, sending chills down her back. "Can you do this?"

She nodded, took her hand back from him, and sipped her coffee, hoping she didn't just lie to him.

* * *

"Hey, Cap," Elliot said, walking into the room, staring at Cragen.

Cragen picked his head up, seeming shocked at his voice. "Elliot?"

"Yeah, you missed," Elliot said, sitting down. "Did they not tell you that when they hauled you in here?"

Cragen shook his head. He bit his lip for a moment. "It wasn't personal."

"Oh, no," Elliot said, sarcastic. "Just like leaving us alone with Huang wasn't personal."

"That wasn't me, that was Kline," Cragen said, nodding once. "You know that. You knew that!"

Elliot shook his head. "You think we're stupid, don't you?"

"What?" Cragen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"See, me and Liv," Elliot said, leaning closer, "We're not stupid. I figured it all out, so did she. You and Franco were running the drugs and the blackmail scheme together. You found out Kline was after Liv, so you helped him get her, figuring you'd get her out of your hair, too. We're a lot tougher to take out than you thought, aren't we?"

"It was a case, Elliot," Cragen said. "Franco's case was, in many respects, an SVU case. I was not about to let you and Benson take the credit for it for the feds! I never meant to hit you, but I had to make sure they saw me firing at you. Prove I was really on their side!" He looked at Elliot and said, "You just jeopardized the whole thing, you know that?"

Elliot scoffed. "Porter and the other guys from the FBI tracked them down, there's no one left," he said. "The case has been closed for almost two days, Franco called you from Rikers, told you, and you flipped. You got angry, you came after us."

Cragen bit his lip again and said, "It was a case, Elliot. That's all I'm saying until my lawyer gets here."

"With your IAB rep, right?" Elliot snapped, rising. "You were like a father to her! How could you…Christ, do you know what you put her through?"

"Oh, please," Cragen groaned. "Why do you even care? The whole reason she's even in your life is because she was after your wife. You were nothing but a case to her, Elliot. Maybe that's still all you are, did you ever think of that?"

Elliot moved, grabbing Cragen by the collar and lifting him out of the chair. "You really don't know shit about anything," he hissed, his jaw clenched. "She loves me, that's why she…"

"She's a brilliant liar, Elliot," Cragen interrupted. "The sooner you accept that you can't believe anything she says, the better off your life is gonna be."

Elliot's fist flew before he knew it, and he had blood on his knuckles in seconds. He looked down at Cragen, his hands cupping his nose, and he shook his head. "Go ahead, tell your lawyer about that, I dare you."

Cragen stared at Elliot for a moment, fear and shock in his eyes, and watched him leave, wondering where the hell the lawyer was.

"That son of a bitch!" Elliot fumed, barreling out of the interrogation room at their headquarters. "He's claiming it was all part of a case, not even answering any questions about last night."

Olivia looked at him. "You think he's telling…"

"No, Olivia! I think he's lying through his fucking teeth!" he yelled. "He knew what you were the whole fucking time! He was working with Kline, trying to get you out of the way! The whole fucking…you were CIA before you were SVU, he fucking hired you because he knew! He has always known, and he still…he still made you believe he gave a shit about you!"

She scoffed. "I never believed him," she said. "I knew better. It still…it didn't stop me from…"

"You love me, right?" he asked, turning toward her suddenly, still angry.

She blinked. "What? How can you even question…"

"Well, you've lied to me before, Liv!" he shouted. "You on some case? Am I just a pawn in some fucking CIA game? Again?"

"Elliot," she said, a whisper, with her eyes narrowing. "Are you kidding? Please, tell me you're not fucking serious."

He tilted his head. "You're not answering the question."

"I shouldn't have to!" she said, defensive. "What you said in the car...what you just said in there...you have to know..."

Elliot folded his arms. "Well, you don't want a real wedding, so there has to be…"

"I don't want a wedding, and that means I don't love you?" she barked. She shook her head, pulled off the ring on her left hand, and slapped it onto the table in front of Elliot. "That's a real ring, you put it on my finger after you really said 'I do,' Elliot. You can take it back, you son of a bitch." She walked toward the door of the pit and she snapped, "I was wrong, wasn't I? When I said the only person I could trust was you? I should have known you'd eventually let me down, too." She threw the door open and said, "I will never make that mistake again."

Elliot watched her leave, heard the door slam, and realized what he'd done. "Shit," he breathed, closing his eyes. He just wanted to hear her say it. He grabbed the ring, shoved it into his pocket, and ran out, hoping to catch up to her, but knowing that when she wanted to disappear, she could do it in seconds.

* * *

The door opened, she didn't turn toward it, she just kept packing. She tried to stop crying before he saw her face; she took a slow breath and pulled more of her books off of the shelf. "I called Judge Vaccaro. He needs you to sign a couple of forms, then it's all over."

"What are you doing?" he asked, his heart breaking. "What are you talking about?"

She sniffled, hating herself for not being able to control her emotions. "I am packing," she said. "And I'm talking about an annulment. You don't believe this is real, so it won't be real after you sign…"

"Did you sign them?" he asked, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and he said, "Baby, I…I was pissed off at Cragen, and I…"

"You hurt me, El," she said, dropping some more of her things into the box. "How could you even question…"

"I needed to hear you say it," he whispered. "Cragen…he said that…God, I know he was wrong, but he still made me worry. I know you love me, I know it. I just…"

She turned to him, her eyes red and puffy, her cheeks tear-streaked and wet. "Do you? Because if you did then you never would have…"

"Put this back on," he whispered, taking her ring out of his pocket. "Please?" he begged, his voice desperate. He sniffled, his eyes filling with tears. "And please, baby, stop crying."

She held out a shaky hand, let him slide the ring back over her knuckle, and fell into his arms. "I needed you," she cried. "I really needed you to be there for me tonight, and you just…it felt so much worse, thinking I lost you, too."

"I was hurt, and angry, and I got scared even just thinking that you weren't really…I took it out on you, and I hate myself for it." He kissed her forehead, kissed her lips softly, and said, "Put your stuff back. Please?"

She squeezed him tight and nodded into his chest.

"I'm not signing anything," he whispered. "I love you, more than anything, and I am so sorry I asked…"

Her head popped up and she kissed him, she felt his tears hitting her cheeks. She slid her hands up his back and cupped his face, looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry, too. I overreacted, I just…watching you in there with Cragen, hearing what he said, I was already hurt. I guess you just pushed the wrong button."

He laughed, and then kissed her again. "We really are a team, huh? We even take the blame together," he said, running his lips over her forehead. "I think we need to finish our vacation, baby."

She laughed and kissed him. "Can we take it here?" she asked. "Starting tonight? Now?"

He looked into her eyes and nodded. "Right now," he whispered. "We can unpack that box later."

She chuckled and she kissed him once more, and she whispered, "I didn't sign them." She looked up and said, "I didn't even ask Vaccaro to draw them up, I just asked how…"

"Oh, thank God," he breathed, kissing her. He held her in his arms for a moment, cherishing her. He pulled her toward the stairs, and just as he took a step up, his phone rang. He rolled his eyes and went to answer it, but Olivia stopped him.

"You're on vacation," she said. She pulled him along, climbing the steps as his phone rang again.

He chuckled when she practically threw him into the bedroom, and the last thing on his mind was the voicemail being left.

When he got it, though, he would realize just how much their lives had changed because of Cragen.

**A/N: Oh, boy. The attorney will surprise you. Last chapter, coming up. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: When the cover's blown, there's only one thing left to do.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Director?"

Olivia looked up from behind her desk, not used to having someone call her that. She nodded.

"Palanski and Digger, they want you to look through the files on the Tedesco case. They think they have enough evidence to fly out and…"

"I'll get to it," she said, her gaze set on the wall behind her. "Thanks, Frank."

The man nodded. "Yes, Director."

"Could you…just…never mind," she said, shaking her head and deciding against asking him to call her Benson. That wasn't her name, anyway. She heard the door click, and she sighed. She looked up at the framed diploma, and the three certificates next to it, and she folded her arms.

Lies, she thought. How many lies did she have to tell? How many secrets did she have to keep to earn those pieces of paper? To earn the right to sit behind the desk in this office? She ran a hand down her face and she heard the door behind her open. "Knock first," she hissed, not turning around.

"I didn't think I had to." The man closed the door and said, "Just because I stepped down, it means I have to resort to knocking?"

It was Elliot's voice. She turned, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Giving you these," he said, dropping a stack of files on her desk. "And letting you know that everything at SVU is back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be. Alex is thrilled that part of her probation is working with the unit. She's in love with her new case, and she said it's airtight as long as we still have Franco's testimony."

Olivia nodded. "Then it's airtight," she said. "That man would roll over on his own mother if it meant he'd serve less time."

Elliot chuckled. "What are you doing in here? I thought you hated this office."

"I do," she said. "I hate it, and everything it stands for, but it's quiet, and I…I needed to be alone."

"You want me to go?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Alone, in my case, usually means alone with you," she said, sounding somehow bitter about it.

He sighed. "Look, I know you're still upset about last…"

"This isn't about last night," she said, shaking her head. "This is about the last seven years of my life, Elliot. My own mother thought I was a waitress working my way through the police academy. People know things now that they…"

Elliot interrupted her. "The only one who knows, that shouldn't, is Munch."

Olivia turned. "And Alex, and Cassidy, and…"

"Cassidy and the other pricks from that bust are all in jail," he said, cutting in. "No one would believe them. Munch signed a confidentially agreement, like I did, Liv. He's so thrilled knowing that one of his conspiracies was proven true that he couldn't care less if you were the fucking President of the United States."

She shook her head. "That's not the point," she said. "When I first started here, I traveled all over the world, gathering evidence that could protect the entire country from some kind of attack. And then I get this case, spent six years with you…going after your wife, whom you really knew nothing about. I was ruining lives instead of saving them. Do you…"

"You saved my daughter's life," he said, stepping toward her. "You saved mine, too. Who knows what she would have done if you didn't tell me, if you didn't get her? You lied, yeah, and you kept secrets from everyone, so…"

"So how can I be mad at someone else for doing it?" she asked, turning to face him.

He looked at her and his heart broke. "Cragen's different," he said. "He's just like Kline, and Kathy, and Fin. They're the bad guys."

"The bad guys that I trusted," she said, closing her eyes. "Everything's so screwed up, El, and I…"

"You are fixing it." He cupped the right side of her face, she felt the cold metal of his ring against her cheek. "You are making it all right. You are doing your job, and you are going to get through this, honey."

She chuckled and said, "I still can't understand how you could be so damn understanding about all of this. I'm still trying to figure out why you didn't hate me the moment you found out that…"

"Nothing you could have said or done would have made me hate you," he assured her. "That's how in love with you I am. How in love with you I've been for years. As long as you were there, and fighting with me, I knew I'd get through it all. That's what I want to give to you. The strength and knowledge that you can make it through anything, with me."

She took a breath, let it out slowly, and looked into his eyes. "That's why I'm leaving," she said.

His heart stopped. "What?" he asked, scared. "You're…you're leaving? Leaving me?"

She grabbed his hand, still resting on the side of her face, and shook her head as she pulled his hand down. She gripped it as she said, "No. The agency. I solved the only case that really mattered to me, and while doing it I feel in love. With you, with your kids, with my job…" she bit her lip and paused, and then she said, "I've done what I can, here. I can't be the director of the CIA and work for the unit. I needed to choose, and I've made my choice."

"So…you're giving up this swanky office and million-dollar-a-year federal job to chase perps and hold victims' hands?"

She nodded, a smile crossing over her face. "I am." She sighed again and said, "I have this amazingly hot partner who's great in bed, too."

He raised an eyebrow. "How can I argue with that?" he asked with a laugh. "Speaking of partners…"

"We are still partners," she said, looking at him. "I've taken steps to make sure of that."

"I know that," he said with a nod, "I was talking about Munch. He needs one. Again. We, uh, we have a new captain, by the way."

She looked up at him and smirked. "I know, who do you think hired him?"

His brow furrowed. "I thought…didn't you just say…"

"I said I couldn't be the director," she interrupted. "I do still have some pull with people, though. They're all still plenty scared to fight with me."

He laughed. "So you're the reason that I'm the...what was it?"

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. "The federal liaison between the unit and any and all government agencies that dare to interfere with our cases."

Elliot scoffed and said, "And Dean being the new captain is…"

"Going to be fine," she finished. "He can do the job, he has a lot of contacts and resources we can take advantage of, and…if he happens to catch us going at it in a closet or two, it's a bonus."

He kissed her with a chuckle and said, "So…Munch's new partner…I was thinking…maybe Andy would want to do it."

"Andy?" Olivia questioned. She watched Elliot nod, but she said, "He's taking over for me here. We'll find someone, El. We always do."

He nodded, then looked into her eyes. "You don't wanna leave, do you?"

She shrugged. "I can't do both. You and the unit are more important to me than this job."

"I'll stay if you stay," he said. "I know you haven't processed my resignation yet. I think if we talk to Dean, we can work this out. Take some calls through the unit, have a line hooked up to your office here, we can handle the paperwork for…"

"You're really trying to convince me," she said, laughing.

He smirked. "You don't need convincing," he said. "You just needed to know I wouldn't be mad at you for wanting to stay."

She laughed and said, "You know me too well, Elliot Stabler."

"I do, Olivia Stabler. You've been my best friend for years, my girlfriend for almost as long, and my wife for the last five months," he said. "I know you, in and out and upside down."

She smiled at him, and she kissed him. "You're amazing," she whispered.

"Yes, I am," he said. "I also know that, as the director, you'll just supervise. You won't need to be out in the field or on cases by yourself, so we get to…"

He was silenced by her lips on his, and he moaned softly as he wrapped her in his arms. He was relieved, a bit, because part of him enjoyed the secrecy and adventure of being in the CIA, and he didn't truly want to let it go.

She walked, pushing him down into the leather couch in the office, and she laughed as he pulled her down with him. "I love you," she said, chuckling.

"I love you, too, Liv," he laughed, kissing her. "Ya know, now that you and I aren't going anywhere, Andy can work for the unit." When he saw her smile, a real, full, bright smile, he knew they'd be all right. They would make things work, like they always have, and always would.

He knew, too, that being in a covert position meant they would always have their secrets from the rest of the world, and they were already keeping a pretty big one. "We should pick out names," he mumbled, thinking out loud as he kissed her.

She pulled her head back and tilted it, and she smirked. "It can wait," she said, dropping her head to kiss him once more.

The man who had just opened the door closed it just as fast. "Well," he said, "Uh, the Director's busy. Can you come back later?"

Dean Porter rolled his eyes and walked toward the door. "I'll call," he said, walking faster, heading for his first day at SVU. It seemed to be a new beginning for everyone; their secrets didn't matter.

**A/N: Ah, endings. Dontcha love 'em? **


End file.
